Clap Your Hands if You Believe
by Jody Mills
Summary: Two girls stumble into a new world, one filled with monsters, evil, and maybe even love? Why are they there? Can they change the future? Starts in season 6, spoilers for season 9. Crowley&OC, Dean&OC.
1. One King of Hell, Please

_Author's note: I have been writing fanfiction for a while now, and felt it was time to write one taking place in the wonderful universe of Supernatural. This story is already mostly complete, so I will post new chapters at least once a week.  
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_Hope you like it! Reviews make my day!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing :)_

-o-

**Chapter 1 - One King of Hell, Please**

**Jenny**

Jenny and Nikki had been friends since..well, forever. More or less. Jenny had a lot of friends, but none of them could even compare with Nikki. Nikki was _family._ And Jenny was grateful, because she didn't have much family. None of them did.

The two friends spent a lot of time together, and Friday night was, as always, TV-night. This was a certain thing. Every Friday night, they spent the whole evening watching their favourite shows.

At the moment, Supernatural was on the agenda, and the two girls were more or less drooling from the handsome men on the screen.

Jenny had to point out, for the umpteenth time, how she appreciated the pleasing appearance of Castiel, before grinning at her brown-haired, brown-eyed friend. They both had brown hair and eyes.

Nikki snorted a laugh, almost spilling her energy drink. "I_ know,_ right? His lips are so friggin _kissable!" _

Jenny threw her head back and laughed. "Christ on a crutch, who would have thought we would be sitting like this in our mid-twenties, our minds completely in the gutter over fictional characters." She smiled ruefully at Nikki. "That being said, I would not mind spending a weekend with Dean. Or Sam. Or Castiel. Or _Crowley._ I have a thing for him at the moment, it seems. Never mind a weekend, give me a _day_. Or just _an hour!"_ Looking at the TV where Crowley was in the process of pouring a drink, she continued. "I'm such a sucker for British accents. Sucker being the understatement of the century. Ooh, and I have always wanted to be referred to as _love."_ Jenny smiled wickedly and pointed her index finger in the air, looking like she was about to order a beer. "I would like to order one weekend alone with The King of Hell, please."

Nikki laughed and pointed to the screen, where Crowley was now sipping his drink, before looking at her friend. "Would you make a deal with the King of Hell for it? Going to join Crowley, Castiel, and the Winchesters, I mean?"

Jenny grinned. "Definitely."

The room went dark, and it was like the King of Hell was looking straight at them. He smirked. "Very well, love. Your wish is my command."

The world spun out of control before everything went black.

"Where the hell are we?"

Jenny heard Nikki's voice had a slight panic to it. She decided to open her eyes, just to see a pair of boots. She started to look up, but was interrupted by water being thrown in her face. "Hey! What the hell!" Meeting the eyes of the person responsible, she gasped. "What the actual fuck?"

She was staring into the, quite mesmerising, eyes of Dean Winchester.

-o-

**Dean**

Dean looked down on the floor where the two brunettes had appeared out of thin air. Holy water had no effect at least. He assumed that was a good thing. "Who are you?"

He looked at the girl closest to him. She was small and curvy, had brown, long hair, brown eyes, wore jeans and a t-shirt with the print 'Zombies want me for my brain'. If the situation had been different, he would probably find that funny. Right now, though? Not so much.

She blinked at him. "Uh.. I'm Jenny. Hi." She looked curiously at him. "Dean? Or Jensen?"

Dean frowned. She knew his name? And who the hell was Jensen? "I have no idea who this Jensen is. My name is Dean, and this is my brother Sam."

The girl named Jenny turned to the other girl with eyes wide with shock. "This isn't possible!"

Dean looked at the other girl. She had brown, long hair and brown eyes as well, but was taller, and had legs that would be well suited on the catwalk, in Dean's opinion.

Shaking off his thoughts, he gave her a stern look. "And who are you?"

She looked at him with disbelieving eyes. "Nikki. Are you seriously Dean Winchester?"

The girls started to get up from the floor and Dean quickly drew his gun. "Not so fast." To his huge surprise, Jenny let out a giggle. She had stopped moving faced with a gun, though. "What's so funny?"

Jenny turned to Nikki. "Dean Winchester is pointing a gun at us. _Dean Winchester_ is pointing a gun at us."

Dean had no idea what was going on when the two girls burst out in a fit of almost hysterical laughter. As the laughter faded, Jenny looked at him. "We can explain. And we are not demons, vampires, witches, or anything of the kind. Can we stand up?"

A while later they were all sitting at the one table in the small, shabby motel room, and Dean looked at the two girls. "Now, spill."

Nikki was just about to open her mouth when a voice interrupted her.

"Hello, boys."

-o-

**Crowley**

Crowley looked at the four people sitting at the table. "Oh, and hello, girls." He looked at the girl closest to him. "You wanted to make a deal?" When he saw the girl's eyes widen in shock he chuckled. "No worries, love. Sometimes I do things for my own amusement. Not that I would mind a kiss, deal or no-"

He was interrupted by Dean. "Crowley. What are you doing here, you smug bastard? What have you gone and fucked up this time?"

Crowley put up a face of mock-innocence as he looked at Dean. "Whatever do you mean? I have done nothing wrong. I was minding my own business when suddenly my view from the window showed these two ladies. She-" He met the eyes of the other girl. "What is your name, darling?"

The girl looked at him. "Nikki. And this is Jenny."

He nodded at her. "Pleased to meet you, Nikki. And you, Jenny. Anyway, like I said, my window showed these two lovely ladies, and Nikki said something like; would you make a deal with The King of Hell to join the Winchesters, Castiel, and that handsome demon, Crowley? And, if I may be so bold, Jenny here looked pleased as punch when she confirmed that she most definitely would. So who would I be if I did not help out two beautiful women by making their wish come true? I am a gentleman, after all."

"Crowley."

"Yes, Moose?"

"Where did you take them from?"

"I have no idea. Where did I take you from, ladies?"

Jenny was the one to speak. She glanced at Nikki before looking back at Crowley. "Well.." She hesitated, looking like she was trying to figure out what to say. "Uh, a parallel universe, maybe?"

Even Crowley couldn't hide his surprised expression at this. But then he sent Jenny a smug smile. "Well, I _am_ The King of Hell, love. What makes you believe this to be a parallel universe, though?"

Jenny hesitated again. "I don't know how to explain this, and it will probably sound farfetched, even on the Winchester crazy-scale, but in our universe you are a television show. We know what and who you are, seeing how we have watched somewhere around two hundred episodes of it. We know you."

Dean snorted a laugh. "Really? Come on, you have to do better than that."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Like I said, it sounds crazy. But.." She turned to Nikki. "If this is actually happening, where in the timeline are we?"

Nikki looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, Crowley is King of Hell, so at least somewhere in season six." She looked at Sam before looking back at Jenny. "He seems..uh, different, if you understand what I mean?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes. Educated guess says season six. Maybe. When, though?"

Nikki turned to Dean. "Uh, met any Goddesses of Truth lately?"

When Dean's eyes went wide with shock, Nikki continued. "It seems you have. And have you figured out why Sam doesn't care about anything anymore?"

Dean looked gravely at her before speaking in an almost threatening voice. "How do you know all of this? Tell us, or so help me God."

To Crowley's amusement, Jenny almost rolled her eyes before speaking in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice. "We are telling the truth. You are Sam and Dean Winchester, you hunt the supernatural. You know, saving people, hunting things. Family business. Both of you have been in Hell, you hang with socially awkward angels of The Lord and, somewhat reluctantly, The Cocky King of Hell. Your mom was killed by the yellow-eyed demon, as well as Sam's girlfriend. When Sam returned from Hell out of nowhere, Dean was living with Lisa and Ben. And now you are trying to figure out what to do with the fact that Sam forgot his soul in Lucifer's cage."

The room went silent for a moment before Nikki spoke. "Maybe we can prove it in a different way. What case are you working on?"

Sam answered in a bored tone of voice. "UFO's."

Nikki lit up. "Ah." She turned to Jenny. "Since this is not so much of a bigger-picture thing, maybe we can save them some trouble? And prove that we are telling the truth at the same time?" Jenny looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding with an amused smile. Nikki turned back to Dean. "Listen to the crazy fairy-lady. Really."

It was Dean who broke the silence a long moment later. "I need a beer."

As it turned out, everyone needed a beer except for Crowley whom was quite satisfied with his very expensive whiskey, thank you very much.

Dean looked at Crowley with an annoyed expression. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Crowley chuckled. "And miss out on learning the fascinating tale of these lovely ladies? Not a chance."

"Crowley?"

He turned to look at the curvy brunette. "Yes, love?"

"Could you send us back?"

"Could or would?"

He was amused to see Jenny roll her eyes at his reply. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Let's start with could."

He thought about it for a moment. "No. Not as far as I am aware. I have never had a parallel universe appear outside my window before, and I have no idea how, or if I can make it happen again. Sorry, love."

Crowley swore that he did not, in any way, feel a twinge of regret when Jenny gave a sad sigh. Nope. Not at all. The King of Hell did not feel regret. Nope.

-o-

**Jenny**

Jenny was somewhere between laughing hysterically and sobbing uncontrollably. Which, as it turned out, was to her advantage because it left her in the middle of the emotional scale, feeling somewhat numb. She was in an emotional limbo. _More like Emotional Purgatory, _her head told her, and she almost tipped over to the hysterical-laughter end of the scale from the thought. Glancing at her friend, it looked like Nikki was in a similar state of mind.

Jenny snapped out of her thoughts when she realised Crowley was talking to her. She blinked in confusion at him, and he rolled his eyes at her. "I said; where do you come from, love?"

"Norway. We are from Norway. Where we live in a world blissfully free of supernatural creatures."

Nikki snorted a laugh. "As far as we know."

Jenny giggled. "As far as we know, indeed. Ignorance is bliss."

Sam let out a bored sigh. "Well, this is _extremely_ interesting and all that, but I think we have a crazy fairy-lady to talk to."

In the end, it was decided that the girls could be trusted to not go anywhere, and Dean rented another room and made it demon-proof, which resulted in a very displeased Crowley. Jenny had a strong impulse to yell _'Salt and burn it!'_ when Dean brought out the salt, but managed to suppress the urge as it would probably not help the situation.

After the two Winchesters drove off with the impala, the two girls were sitting in the heavily salted room, both staring into empty air. Nikki broke the silence in the end. "This isn't a dream, is it?"

"I'm pretty sure it's not."

"What do we do?"

"I have _no _idea."

"Well, fuck."

"In-fucking-deed."

Nikki turned her head to look at her friend. "Do you feel like you should be panicking _way_ more than you are over this?

Jenny snorted a laugh. She was not at all surprised that her best friend was currently going through the exact same emotional dilemma she was. She rolled her eyes. "Definitely. We just got thrown into a world where every day is a horror movie, and I'm all 'cool story, bro' about it."

Nikki threw her head back and laughed. "I _know!_ It makes no sense! Thank God, though. Let's hope it's not just a shock-reaction that will turn into constant fear later."

Jenny nodded. "Indeed. What do we do now, though? Just wait and see?"

Nikki sighed. "Let's wait and see. Cigarette?"

Jenny nodded with a laugh. "Thank _God_, or more like thank _Dean_, for buying us cigarettes. At least we can smoke while we play the waiting game." She got up from the sad-looking motel bed before laughing. "We should probably start saying _'Thank Castiel'_ instead of thank God."

Nikki had to try a few times before she managed to form a coherent sentence through the laughter. "We _need_ to do that! So help me Castiel, we _need_ to do that! _Oh my Castiel!"_

They had a severe case of jelly-legs from laughing when they finally managed to get outside to smoke.

The girls decided that while executing the smoke, wait, and see-plan, they would try to keep from revealing too much of the future since that could lead to more harm than good. If they changed too much, who knew what could happen. But then again, maybe they could save Bobby. Or maybe everything would work out somehow, and they would be back home before they knew it. Although that seemed unlikely at this point.

-o-

They had called off the waiting game for the day, and Nikki had fallen asleep. Jenny had most definitely not. Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, she got out of bed with a sigh and went outside for a cigarette.

She was completely lost in thought, sitting cross-legged in one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs outside the motel room. The night was quiet, but she didn't notice the sudden presence in the chair next to her. Which resulted in her almost falling out of the chair _and_ having a heart attack when the presence spoke.

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

She gave him a furious look. "Crowley!"

"Yes?"

"If you do that again I swear I will hurt you!"

"And how, pray tell, could you possibly harm the King of Hell? Do enlighten me."

She made a frustrated sound. "I'm very solution-oriented. I'll figure something out. Why are you here?"

"Oh, I happened to be in the neighbourhood."

"That's it. I'm going inside."

She was surprised to see some of the smugness fade from his expression as she started to get up from the chair. "Alright, alright. I'll behave. Just don't go into the dreadfully boring demon-proof room."

She had to giggle from the level of annoyance on his face as he said 'demon-proof'. Sitting down again, she gave him a teasing smile. "Well then, Your Smugness, what can I do for you?"

Jenny had no idea when her mind decided giving the King of Hell attitude was a good idea, or why she wasn't more terrified from doing so. When Crowley just stared at her for a long moment, she briefly wondered if this was not one of the worst ideas she had ever had. _Let's hope for a quick death if nothing else, _ she thought, as she stared back at him.

She let out a breath she did not know she was holding when he laughed. "Not everyone would dare speak in such a way to The King of Hell, you know."

"I'm not everyone."

"I do not doubt that for a second, love."

"Crowley?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Talking to you, obviously."

"Crowley…"

"Transporting beautiful women between universes is not an everyday occurrence, even for The King of Hell. I am obviously curious."

She sighed. "Curious to what?"

The gaze he gave her almost made her fidget. "You, obviously." His eyes were almost sparkling as he continued with a wicked smile. "I find myself particularly interested in hearing what it is that makes you a _'sucker for British accents'?"_

Jenny was suddenly wishing that Crowley had chosen the 'quick-death' option earlier. How much had he heard? If he had heard her go on about the accent, he had also heard her 'order one weekend with The King of Hell'. _Well, fuck,_ she thought as she felt her cheeks turn firetruck-red. She could not make herself look at the man as she spoke. "You heard that, did you?"

She could hear the smugness in his voice as he answered. "That I did. _Love."_

Yep. She was going to die. Without any assistance from The King of Hell. She was going to die from sheer humiliation right here, sitting outside the motel room with shabby beds and salty floors. Wait. Salty floors! Demon-proof room! She quickly got up from the chair and headed for the door.

Just as she was about to open it, Crowley spoke again. "One more thing, love."

She turned and gave him a furious look. "What?"

He smirked. "What exactly did you have in mind for that 'one weekend with The King of Hell?'"

Her cheeks turned to a new and so far unknown level of red. She opened the door. "Nope. Not doing this. Demon-proof room. Yep. Definitely. Goodbye, Crowley."


	2. She Recognises the Sound of a V8

**Chapter 2 - The Sound of a V8  
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**Nikki**

When Nikki woke up the next morning, it took her a second to realise where she was. She went from lying down to sitting in less than a second, scanning the room in slight panic.

She let out a breath. Shabby motel room, snoring friend in the bed next to her, salty floor, all was as it should be. _All as it should be? Yeah right, this is the farthest from alright ever. _She got up from the bed and desperately longed for a change of clothes.

Jenny shot up into sitting position with wild eyes, and Nikki had to laugh. "Yep, that was my exact reaction when waking up as well. Are you alright?"

Jenny's expression relaxed and she gave Nikki a smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. You?"

Nikki rolled her eyes with a smile. "Surprisingly, yes I am. Why are we not traumatized?"

"I have absolutely _no _idea. This whole thing is absurd."

"Keep calm and stay in the salt circle?"

Jenny laughed. "Keep calm and stay in the salt circle."

-o-

A little while later she heard a knock on the door and went to open.

She opened the door to Dean Winchester. Dean-friggin-Winchester. She had a second of complete awestruck brain-malfunction before snapping out of it. "Uh, good morning?" She stepped back and let Dean in. He smiled at her, causing another awestruck-brain moment. She really had to get over this. He went to sit down on the edge of her bed, resulting in her feeling a hysterical bubble of laughter from the fact that Dean Winchester was on her bed. She supressed the bubble and looked at him. "Well? What did you find out?"

He let out a chuckle. "Fairies? Really? You got to be kidding me."

She giggled. "But we were correct, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yep. Parallel universe, huh? _Awesome_. Where is your friend?"

Nikki nodded towards the bathroom. "In the shower." She sat down on the other bed and looked at him. "What are we going to do? It seems we are stuck here, for now at least."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, we can't really leave you here, you don't have any money, or.." His eyes met hers, making her traitorous heart skip a beat. Something unreadable flickered in his expression before he continued. "You don't have anything at all, do you? No money, clothes, friends or family. You were just brutally ripped away from everything familiar in a second." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief at her. "How the hell are you so happy?"

She let out a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Well thanks, that helped. I feel much better about the situation now." He gave her a sheepish smile that actually did make her feel better, and she could see he was about to apologise. Christ, she _knew_ this man. His expressions, gestures, moods. What made him happy, what made him sad or angry, his humour, and his interests. It was beyond surreal.

Nikki decided there and then that he would _not_ die by Metatron's hand if she could do anything about it.

She interrupted him as he was about to speak. "It's alright, Dean, I was kidding. Jenny and I have talked about it, and we both are feeling okay. _Why _exactly we are feeling okay is unknown to us, though. We should be paralyzed by fear at this point if there was any logic to the situation."

Dean gazed at her. "How much do you know?"

She avoided his eyes. "A lot. Too much."

His voice was almost a whisper when he spoke again. "Sam? What will happen to him?"

Nikki didn't know what to say. "She couldn't really tell him exactly what would happen, but if she didn't say _anything, _he would probably think the worst. Deciding on a different approach, she looked back at him. He looked so fragile right in this moment that her heart ached for him. She _knew _he was broken in this moment. Pouring all the honesty she could muster in her expression and tone of voice, she gave him a small, but genuine smile. "The show is always about two brothers, Dean. Two brothers who are there for each other as they battle the surreal evils of this world. It will be alright. Just don't give up."

Dean let out a shaken breath, and his body visibly relaxed. In the next moment he sat up straight with a broad smile and clapped his hands together. Dean Winchester was not really one for letting his vulnerability show. He was practically glowing with awkwardness when he spoke. "Well, uh, anyway. We're not leaving you here. I think we should go to Bobby. You know who Bobby is I guess?"

Nikki raised an eyebrow. "Idgits."

Dean laughed, resulting in her grinning like a fool. He got up from the bed. "First of all we need to go shopping. You need clothes, cell phones, and, uh, girl things. Things that girls buy. Makeup..and..stuff?" Nikki grinned, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Nikki was about to say something when Jenny spoke, and she had obviously heard the last part of the conversation. "Don't forget to pick up a small animal for the weekly blood sacrifice. Can't do without our rituals, after all. You know, girl things."

Dean had a moment of confusion before he saw the amusement in Nikki's eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Ha-friggin-ha. Hilarious. I'm going to find Sam. Come outside when you're ready?" He went outside just to come right back in again. "I should probably un-demon proof the room."

-o-

About an hour later the room was once again open for demon-visits, and Dean, Jenny and Nikki were sitting in the impala waiting for Sam to arrive. They saw him approach and Dean started the engine. Nikki felt like purring from the sound. Turning to Jenny, she could see the exact same expression on her friend's face. "Oh my _God, _Jenny! Reminds me of old times! This has to be one of my favourite things in this world. The sound of a V8 engine, oh Lord!"

This statement got a prompt reaction from the driver's seat as Dean spun around, doing a fabulous imitation of the girl in The Exorcist. "You like cars?!"

Nikki blushed furiously. "Uh, yes. We were members of an American Car Club once upon a time. I can't declare myself as an expert of any kind, but I do recognise the sound of a V8."

Dean looked more or less star struck and his voice was an intense whisper when he spoke. _"__**Awesome**__."_

This was the end of that conversation, as Sam entered the car. He looked at his baffled brother. "What?"

Dean kept up the awestruck expression wonderfully as he spoke in a way that sounded like he was describing the inventor of the wheel, the car, and everything motorized. "She recognises the sound of a V8."

Sam, obviously unimpressed by this, shrugged with a 'meh' sound, resulting in Dean snapping his jaw shut and turning stiffly towards the steering wheel with an expression that showed clearly how he felt about Sam's reaction.

-o-

**Jenny**

They spent ages trying to convince Bobby that their story was, in fact, legit. Jenny was about to explode from frustration and threw her hands hopelessly up in the air. "Please, Bobby. We are _telling the truth._ What can we do to convince you?"

Bobby looked at her with a stubborn expression. "How do I know you ain't working with Crowley? Maybe _he's _been feeding you all this information."

Jenny sighed sadly. "What if I tell you something that nobody else knows?" When Bobby just grumbled in reply, she walked over to him and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I'm so sorry for bringing this up, but I see no other way." She hesitated for a moment before whispering very quietly. "Your father was beating your mother, and you shot him with a rifle. His last words to you were _'you break everything you touch'."_

Bobby stared at her in disbelief and she took a step back and gave him a sad look. "Do you believe us now? When Bobby, after a moment that felt like a small eternity, gave her a short nod, she sighed with relief. "Thank you."

-o-

The girls were sitting in the living room when Bobby entered and joined them, slumping down in an armchair. Bobby and Dean had vanished into Bobby's office for quite a while, obviously discussing what to do with the situation. Bobby surprisingly removed his shabby caps and placed it on the table before sighing. "I'm sorry for being harsh with you, girls."

Jenny shook her head. "Please don't apologise, Bobby. It's me who should apologise. I am really sorry for what I said."

Bobby grumbled. "I didn't leave you a choice, now did I?" He leaned back in the chair, folding his hands over his belly. "Now, girls, we've been discussing your situation, and got a suggestion for you." When both girls nodded, he continued. "Well, you're stuck here, and God knows how long, since we have no clue how this happened in the first place. Maybe it's permanent, we don't know. I don't even think the bastard that kidnapped you knows anything." He paused for a moment, giving them a serious look. "I sure hope we won't regret this decision. Girls, we are inviting you to stay. You have no place to go, and I don't think it was just a random accident that landed you here. It seems a bit too random, if you ask me. So for now, you are welcome to stay here."

Jenny didn't know what to say. So she ended up stuttering. "I..I don't know what to say.. T-thank you."

Bobby waved a hand dismissible. "Don't. You'll probably regret that thank you, and soon. This ain't exactly a white-picket-fence kind of life. You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into." He paused for a moment. "Or maybe you do? What are you gonna do with everything you know?"

Jenny gazed at the gruff man for a moment. "What would you have us do, if the decision was yours?"

Bobby shook his head. "Hard to say. I think knowing too much of what's gonna happen is more a burden than a blessing."

Jenny sighed softly. "I am a bit worried that we will end up doing more harm than good if we share too much information. Or pick the wrong thing to tell you. What if we end up causing some major disaster over something seemingly innocent?"

Nikki nodded. "I worry about that, as well. But I'm not sure I could just sit back and watch, knowing something bad was about to happen."

Jenny sighed again. "Indeed. Let's try to find some kind of middle ground, perhaps?"

Bobby nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me." He got up and headed out of the living room, glancing over his shoulder at them. "There are empty rooms upstairs. It ain't no luxury hotel, but could be worse, I guess. Take your pick."

Stopping in the doorway, he turned to them. "Oh, and girls, if you're to live here, you need training. Hunter training. Wouldn't want you to get dead. We can start in a few days, alright?"

Jenny looked at Nikki to find an expression mirroring her own. Hunter-training?

"Nikki?"

"Yes?"

"Did he say what I think he did?"

"Hunter-training?"

"Hunter-training."

"Jenny?"

"Yes?"

"We just moved into Bobby Singer's house."

"So I've heard. And if that is not the most _insane _thing you have ever heard in your life, then I don't know what is. You know what else?"

"Do tell."

"Dean and Sam Winchester lives here as well. We are currently _living _with the Winchesters."

"I think my brain just imploded."

"Mine went offline days ago. I think I am down to two brain cells, one of them is on life support, and the other one is severely depressed from being so lonely."

"Huh. Do you want to go look at the rooms?"

"Does the pope wear an overly extensive hat?"

Nikki gave Jenny a bemused look. "What?"

Jenny grinned. "Oh, I thought we were asking obvious questions. Yes. Double yes. I want to look at the rooms."

-o-

They quickly figured out what rooms were already taken, or just too much work for it to be worth it. They tried the different doors, leaving alone the ones that were locked.

Nikki found her room first. They opened the door to a medium-sized room with warm-toned, brown wallpaper, embroidered with a random pattern of different sized blue flowers. A queen sized bed occupied the corner by the wall to their left, and there was a small desk and a chair. But Jenny had a strong feeling that this room was calling out to Nikki, because in the other corner was two armchairs that looked very comfortable, and between the two chairs was a small table. And then there was the selling-point; the corner behind the chairs and the table was a bookshelf that reached all the way to the ceiling, and occupied almost half of the wall to their right. Next to the bookshelf on the right wall was a quite large dresser, with tons of different sized drawers. The dresser combined with the bookshelf made the corner feel a bit separated; a place to snuggle up with a book and a blanket when you wanted to tune out the rest of the world.

Jenny smiled at Nikki. "This is yours then, I gather?"

Nikki grinned. "Definitely."

Jenny found her room two doors down from Nikki's. It was slightly bigger, the wallpaper was grey with black Victorian-style decorations. There was a queen sized bed, a dresser, desk and a chair, a single bookshelf, and the right corner had a table, a Victorian-styled black loveseat and armchair. All the black and grey could have made the room look gloomy, but the wooden floor was light, making the room more balanced. And in the corner behind the door she found a guitar. Having played the guitar since she was thirteen, Jenny was thrilled. This was most definitely her room.

-o-

Dean and Sam had gone mattress-shopping, and cursed their way up the stairs with the queen-sized, comfortable-looking things. Sam managed close to nine hundred eye rolls accompanied by heavy sighs before the mattresses were in place. Next came pillows and blankets, and a ton of curtains. When an amused Nikki raised a questioning eyebrow at Dean, he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "What? I had no idea what to pick, so I just bought a ton. It's not like I go curtain-shopping on my spare time, you know."

Jenny clapped her hands when she found grey curtains with dark purple skulls.

After a couple of hours cleaning, the two girls stumbled to bed and fell into a deep sleep that would probably, on the scale of nap-to-coma, fall into the vegetable-category.


	3. Thank You, Captain Innuendo

**Chapter 3 – Thank You Captain Innuendo**

**Jenny**

She woke up to the sound of Nikki's voice outside the door. "Jenny? Can I come in?"

Jenny tried to shake of the sleep as she got out of the bed to open the door, having locked it last night. She yawned as she opened to see her friend standing there fully dressed. "Good morning!" Nikki gave her a happy-but-freaking-out-smile. "Uhm, Dean is going for some errands and asked if I wanted to join him."

Jenny's eyes widened in excitement. "So what the hell are you doing standing here?"

Nikki's grin widened as she shook her head. "Bobby went out this morning and will be back later this afternoon, and Sam left and said he would return tomorrow. Do you want to come with us? I don't feel like leaving you alone here."

Jenny gave her a wicked grin. "And ruin your chance of going alone on a mini-roadtrip with _Dean-Frikkin-Winchester?_ Not happening. I'll manage just fine here. I have my phone, and my default setting will be; _'__When in doubt, Salt and Burn it!_ Now, what are you waiting for? _Dean Winchester!_ Go, go!"

Nikki grinned back. "Alright. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Jenny thought for a moment. "I would _love_ a new set of guitar strings. And if you happen to see any of our favourite soda, please buy some."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Oh God, yes. I'm having a serious case of soda-withdrawal. I'll look for it. And you can find guitar strings downstairs. I mentioned to Dean that you found the guitar which made him remember that he had a set of strings. He put them on the kitchen table." Nikki was almost bouncing on the floor as she continued. "I have to go; you see I have **_Dean Winchester_** waiting for me outside." Her eyes widened in a moment of panic. "And he will probably never want to talk to me after today. I'm so manic that I will probably laugh hysterically every time he opens his mouth. Or just looks at me. Yep, by the end of the day he will think I am mentally insane."

Jenny laughed. "You will manage just fine." She pulled her friend into a hug and tried her best to make Nikki feel calmer. "I promise. You will manage just fine. Now; go!"

Nikki took a deep breath before giving Jenny a beaming smile. "Alright. Thanks, Jenny." Her face expression turned more serious as she continued. "Call or text us if anything happens? Or, well; if you change your mind about being here by yourself."

"I swear I will. Don't keep Dean waiting, yeah? Go! See you later!"

Nikki grinned as she almost skipped down the stairs.

-o-

Jenny showered and dressed, deciding on one of her new t-shirts. She had known that she _had to_ have this t-shirt when she saw the print on it. It was a picture of Shakespeare, only twisted so the skull was visible underneath, almost like an x-ray. Below the picture was a quote from The Tempest; one of Shakespeare's plays. The quote read; "**_Hell is empty. And all the devils are here"._** Although she knew for a fact that Hell was not at all empty it was still pretty close to perfect. _Hope Crowley will like it. Wait, why do I hope Crowley will like it?_ She shook off her chain of thoughts and picked up the guitar.

-o-

A little while later she was sitting on the front porch step playing the guitar. She played everything she could think of, songs she had written herself, cheesy love songs, country, a bit of blues, and even a couple of light punk songs. In the end she couldn't think of anything else to play, and finally opened her eyes to face the real world again. She glanced at her phone and realised she had been lost in the music for more than an hour. And her butt was getting numb from sitting on the wooden steps. Sighing, she picked up her phone and got up.

She turned around, and was brutally torn out of her blissful state of mind as she saw a dark figure sitting in the chair next to the front door. "You have got to be _fucking_ **_kidding _**me! How long have you been sitting here?!"

The dark figure gazed at her for a long moment, and Jenny saw something flicker across his expression. "Quite a while, love."

She was stunned from the lack of cocky arrogance in his voice. Even his expression bore no trace of it. He looked almost serene, and his expression was less shielded than usual. What had happened to him? Was it her music? He had been sitting her for 'quite a while' without making his presence known. Which meant he had liked her playing. Because she knew he did not wait in silence until she was finished out of politeness. Crowley loved showing up at the most inappropriate times and did not hesitate to interrupt whatever was going on.

None of them spoke or moved, and Jenny found herself unable to turn her eyes away from him. She realised how unguarded his eyes were, and how very different he looked in this moment. He looked so…human. _I'm not afraid of him, _she thought. _Why am I not afraid of him?_

Jenny forgot how to breathe for a moment as realised that she was, if this was not another trick, getting a glimpse of the person hidden behind all those shields and defence mechanisms.

They stayed like this, frozen on spot, for something that, probably only lasted for a few seconds, but felt like a small eternity. It was like even the world around them was holding its breath.

There was a sudden shift in the man as his eyes widened slightly. And just like that, the moment was gone. She felt a twinge of regret as she watched his defence-mechanisms kick in, heavy shields fall back in place, closing off any emotion and shutting her out. The serene, unguarded man vanished in a blink of the eye to be replaced by The King of Hell.

The change in his eyes affected her more than anything. She had seen something there that she had never seen before. There had been a spark of light in Crowley's eyes. And now she had just watched the spark die.

Finally he looked away from her. He had not yet managed to regain his smug arrogance, and Jenny realised that he was perhaps feeling uncomfortable. He had just showed her an unguarded side of himself, and The King of Hell would of course see this as a display of unforgivable weakness. God forbid he should _feel_ something.

He looked thoughtful, and she suspected he was trying to figure out what to do with the one-woman-audience to his 'display of weakness'. Could she trust him to not harm her? No. This was Crowley. He was a case of 'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'. He could most definitely not be trusted. So why did the feeling in her gut tell her otherwise?

Her brain was well aware of the facts. Crowley would always do what was best for _him._ He could be trusted up to the point where a different solution or a more tempting offer came up, and then he would switch sides in the blink of an eye. Her gut-feeling was obviously malfunctioning.

The question was what was going through his head right now. Was there a chance that he was considering drastic measures? Killing her?

_He tortures people wearing an apron to keep the blood from staining his suit, for Christ's sake; of course there is a chance._

That made her snap out of it. "If you are even considering killing me right now, Crowley, so help me, I will find a way to make you a very sorry demon." Then she promptly stomped away, walked into the house and slammed the door behind her. She knew she was being a bit melodramatic, but her gut was rebelling and she had an Instinct VS Intellect battle going on that made her feel confused to no end.

Her overly dramatic exit was mainly to give Crowley a chance to re-smug properly before coming after her to bicker from her melodrama.

She placed the guitar in a chair and stomped on, in the direction of the kitchen. She proceeded to stomp her way right into something solid, making her lose her balance, and she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact as she just knew she wouldn't be able to regain her balance.

The impact was very anticlimactic, seeing how it never came. Her fall had been avoided by two firm hands seizing her upper arms. The hands released her. "Careful, my dear. You should watch where you are going."

She tilted her head up and looked at Crowley. "I was busy stomping. And it is quite difficult to avoid crashing into something appearing from thin air, _right_ in front of me." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Perhaps you should watch where you are zapping."

Crowley had obviously recovered, because he was back to his Unholier-than-thou attitude. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I assure you, love, my _zapping _is not the problem." He rolled his eyes and gave her a disapproving look. "Do you honestly think I was intending to brutally murder you on the front porch like some Neanderthal? I am not for such crude actions."

"Says the man who owns a torture-apron."

His eyebrows rose in amused surprise. "It keeps the blood stains off my suit, does it not?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and sighed. "Let's just skip ahead to the part where you tell me why you are here, shall we?" She was surprised to hear the sharp tone in her voice as she spoke to him. When did _she _become the one to initiate an argument unprovoked? She had actually been somewhat mean to him since she discovered him on the porch, and that baffled her. Because she was not this person.

Then she realised what was causing it. She was completely supressing her gut-feeling. And Jenny's default settings in almost every aspect of her life was to follow said feeling. When faced with a situation, she listened first to what her instincts felt to be the right thing to do, and then she applied logic and reason, analysing the facts given, as far as she was able, with an objective point of view. Mostly, her gut-feeling would go well together with the logic, but in some cases, like with Crowley, it was almost impossible to decide what to do.

Her logic and instinct had never been as drastically different as when faced with The King of Hell, however. And it made her try to operate on intellect and logic alone, making her more clinical and cold. And mean. Logic-Jenny was mean. She didn't like being mean.

She gave in and let her feelings emerge to the surface again. The calm sense of trust returned in a warm wave through her body, almost making her sigh with relief. She reminded herself that placing a bit of trust in the man did not mean she would suddenly blindly believe everything he said. He was Crowley, The King of Hell, after all, and she was well aware of that.

Taking a breath to clear her head, she looked at the man in front of her. "Crowley.. I'm sorry."

He looked surprised for a moment before cocking his head with a slightly confused face. "Whatever for, love?"

She counted on her fingers while talking. "Well, we have the yelling, although I think you mostly deserved that. Then there was the ungracious and quite over-the top murder accusations. And let's not forget the threats, the door slamming, and the melodramatic stomping."

His eyes twinkled with amusement as he put on a pained expression that radiated hurt and anguish. The King of Hell should seriously consider renouncing the throne and start an acting career, because the way he placed his hand over his heart and sighed dramatically was quite convincing. "Now that you mention it.. Oh, I _am_ hurt, _wounded_. Will you just stand there and watch me suffer? You are breaking my heart, love." His expression changed as he focused on her with a dark intensity in his eyes that made her traitorous heart skip a beat while she tried to remember how the concept of breathing worked. His tone of voice could probably make an entire room of women curl their toes and purr with pleasure as he continued. "Perhaps if your apology was more.._persuasive _it would leave me..._satisfied."_

Jenny was nearly certain that if Crowley continued talking to her in that voice, they would _both_ be _quite_ satisfied sometime in the immediate future. And _that _was _not _happening. She did _not _ want to open that Pandora's Box. Before she knew it, she would be referred to as 'Mistress of Hell' and have her own torture-apron and a Hellhound named 'Cerberus'. Nope. Not going there. Not now. Wait, she meant never. It would _never _happen.

She quickly collected herself before he could charm her into oblivion, and gave him a look that said _in-your-dreams-demon_ before rolling her eyes "Thank you, Captain Innuendo. And note-to-self, no more apologising to The King of Hell."

Jenny was pleasantly surprised when he laughed. Looking at her with amused eyes, he gave her a playful smile. "Come now, love, give me a chance! How can you be so unforgiving to a kind-hearted demon? Cruel woman, you are."

She snorted a laugh. "And you are an infuriating man. Kind-hearted, you say? And _when_ exactly did you become kind-hearted?"

Crowley gasped with mock-offence and disbelief. "I'll have you know it is one of my strongest personality traits." He barely managed to finish his sentence before his face broke out in a wicked smile. "Alright, I admit, that would perhaps be exaggerating _slightly_." Jenny raised a doubtful eyebrow at him and he lifted his hands in question. "What? You fancy me a liar, do you?"

She gave him an amused, but genuine smile. "Honestly, Crowley, yes I do." His eyebrows shot up and he was just about to say something, but she raised her hand to stop him. "Let me finish, will you?" He snapped his mouth shut with a small smacking sound and she had an urge to giggle from his rigid expression. He looked genuinely offended, although not very. But she had just called him a liar with a smile on her face, and then she shushed him. She had just _shushed_ The King of Hell.

"You are a demon, the former King of the Crossroads, and not to forget your current occupation as King of Hell. I am guessing lying comes with the job description. But you do not really lie just to be a prick, you lie because you see it necessary for whatever agenda you have going at the time. You are practically a double agent at all times. And a double-agent that does not lie will swiftly seize to be a double-agent. Or seize to be at all, when I think about it.

She smirked at him. "But remembering some of the crazy plots you have been through, I would be quite interested to see the ripple-effects had you suddenly one day decided to inform everyone involved with every detail of all the schemes. All at the same time, of course."

Crowley laughed. "That would be a sight to see, indeed. Shame I would have been too busy being murdered to experience it."

Jenny shrugged. "Who knows, maybe revealing the truth would have left everyone in such disarray that you could slip away while they were still trying to make sense of the situation. Or perhaps that would the perfect time to acquire Hell."

"I would probably not have been very welcome there either."

"You could have tried winning them over with the kindness of your heart."

Crowley sniffed disapprovingly. "Never underestimate The King of Hell, love. I could surprise you yet. But since you appear uninterested in knowing if The King of Hell has, in fact, a good side to him.." He sighed. "Oh, ye of little faith. Will not even give me a chance."

She grinned at him. "Consider me intrigued. I will give you a chance."

Crowley gave her a playful smile and it looked like he was about to say something when his phone made a sound. He sighed with annoyance as he glanced at it. "Duty calls." His playful smile returned when he met her eyes. "I'll see you soon, love." He winked at her with glittery eyes, and then he was gone without her ever finding out why he was there in the first place.

-o-

**Crowley**

What the bloody hell had he just done? This was complete and utter _nonsense_. Why, in the name of Hades, would he agree to such a thing? Of course, _she _ had been the one to agree, because this was _his _stupid idea. _It was_ **_his stupid idea._** And he had no idea why. He had no _clue_ to why he had started this.

He just knew that when she called him a liar, he felt uncomfortable. And not because he didn't like being a called a liar, because clearly, he _was _one. He had felt uncomfortable because he did not _want her_ to think of him that way.

It was the same when she objected to his statement of being kind-hearted. Of course, that was meant as a joke. He was in no way kind-hearted. But when she objected, it suddenly felt important to prove her wrong. So he had convinced her to _give him a chance._ Pathetic.

He had been so bloody _pleased_ when she agreed. He had been _so_ bloody pleased, although subconsciously, he _knew_ that this was already in vain.

Of course, it would not _hurt_ to _try,_ now would it?

Bollocks. _Bollocks._

-o-

**Jenny**

Give him a chance at what, exactly? She should probably watch her words more carefully around the former King of the Crossroads.

And if he by some miracle managed her challenge? Well, she suspected she was in deep trouble. He would probably charm her socks off and eye-twinkle her right into the torture-apron before she could say 'Hellhound'.

And that would most certainly come back to bite her in the ass.

One thing was watching him on a television show as a fictional character and fancying 'one weekend with The King of Hell', but the man, or demon really, in front of her was very much real, and very _literally_ The _King_ of _Hell_ . On a one-to-ten stupidity-scale, where one translated to 'naive fool' and ten translated to 'fucking idiot', becoming Crowley's lover would be somewhere around sixteen, 'witless imbecile' and eighteen, 'how are you even still alive'.

When Jenny discovered that some part of her was starting to form quite strong opinions onto just how _nice _the man smelled, she inwardly scolded herself. She had been reasonable and logical again when thinking about the Pandora's Box that was Crowley. And of course her emotional side had to pop up to interrupt her chain of thoughts. Crowley would cause her to develop multiple personality disorder if this continued. Very Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. How wonderful.

Her mind was an utter chaos, and she was quite sure that she would have a stroke if she continued thinking about this. It was not even remotely productive, and it had no immediate solution. All she did was repeat the same thing over and over again, and it did not do anyone any good. What was the Albert Einstein quote? _'__The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'_ Yep, that was exactly what she was doing. And she was already feeling the increase in frustration from it.

She had realised a few new things somewhere in the chaos of her brain, though. Yes, she did like Crowley. No matter how much Hyde, (she had named her logical side this in amusement) protested. She did not love Crowley; she wasn't even _in _love with him, but she was undeniably attracted to him. She had after all admitted to herself that he, if given the chance, had the ability to charm her socks off quite quickly. And this was hardly good news. But at least she was aware of the situation, and thank god, Crowley was not.

Now that she was aware of her weakness for the demon, she could set up some ground rules to defend herself from him and the very annoying effect he had on her. Because although he had the abilityto make her weak-kneed in a pathetic fashion, it did not mean that she would follow her pathetic knees' example and _act_ on her attraction. Nope. So she had to go in prepared. She had to find a way to snap herself out of it _before _her knees turned to boiled spaghetti. And _before_ her brain turned off and all it would take was one more _'__love'_ from Crowley to make her go all cave-woman on him.

It would, perhaps, sound a bit exaggerated, but if Crowley went all _focused-charm-and-crazy-intense-eyes_, and _oh-hey-listen-to-my-British-accent_ on her, Jenny _knew_ that this was a likely result. Much to her embarrassment and frustration.

She had always been one to live here-and-now, and combined with frequent euphoria, a genuine interest in people and their lives, getting excited and happy easily, and, well, she was not completely against the concept of casual sex and one night stands. Not that she partook in such activities often, mind you. But once in a while she met someone, the chemistry was _just_ right, she was euphoric, and lived in the _now._ So why not?

But euphoric-live-in-the-now-Jenny operated for the major part on Jekyll, (formerly known as her emotional side, and her gut-feeling) and the more lost she was in the moment, the less Logic-Hyde had any saying in the matter. Lost in the moment could be a lot of things, sex, (but everyone went by instinct in this case, so that wasn't just her.) playing the guitar, taking photographs, meeting someone she had chemistry with, flirting, reading a book. The list could go on forever.

The book was a surprisingly good example because it seemed very much like an intellectual activity, until you made the promise of 'just one more chapter'. Seven 'just one more chapter' later you discover that you are going to work in two hours and you did not do the dishes or laundry like you were supposed to do yesterday.

Last, but not least came love and attraction. The concepts that needn't necessarily make any sense whatsoever, because of the fact that you could not reason with it. You did not get to choose when to fall in love, or with whom. Neither did you get to choose who you felt attracted to, nor who you did _not _feel attracted to, even if that person was theoretically your perfect match, and already desperately loved you.

Love was one of the best, but also one of the worst things in life.


	4. Inner Lara Croft

**Chapter 4 - Inner Lara Croft**

**Nikki**

Nikki was sitting in the front seat of the impala in silent awe. This was the most surreal day she had ever had and it was not even afternoon.

She had left with Dean (Winchester) earlier that morning in the impala, and they had thus far been pretty much all over town on errands, shopping, and actually some sightseeing, with Dean-the-tour-guide.

There had been some noteworthy moments. Like this moment right now. She had started to get used to the fact that she was spending the day with _Dean Winchester,_ and was starting to think of him as just _Dean._

But right in this moment, he was _Dean Winchester_ to the core. They were in the impala, and 'Carry on Wayward Son' had just started playing, causing Dean to drum the steering-wheel and hum. Nikki watched in silent awe.

Another noteworthy event that day was that Dean had bought guns for her and Jenny. Which she utterly hated, but understood the necessity. She had shakily accepted the gun and Dean had laughed when she said "This is terrifying. Thank you very much, Dean. Honestly."

-o-

She was following Dean into a grocery store when her phone vibrated. It was a text from Jenny.

**J: ****_How's your mini-roadtrip going? _**

She quickly typed back.

**N: ****_It's great. I just got to watch Dean Winchester drum the steering wheel to Carry on my Wayward Son. SURREAL! Other than that, he bought us guns. I'm not completely comfortable with that. But if we're going to be hunters, well.. We will probably need guns. How are things at home?_**

**J: ****_His Snarkyness, The King of Hell was here. I yelled at him and he didn't kill me. I'll tell you more later. Don't tell Dean because I don't know what to think of it yet. And guns? Really? I'm excited and terrified. And OMG Carry on my Wayward Son!_**

**N:********_I think The King of Hell rather likes you, my friend. I won't tell Dean. And yes, I'm terrified as well. But intrigued. We'll be home in a while. _**

So, the King of Hell had stopped by, huh? Nikki had her suspicions that the demon had a thing for her friend. And it bothered her much less than she thought it would. Maybe the King of Hell had a weak-spot after all.

Nikki glanced over Dean's shoulder to look at his shopping list. It was a short list. Beer, pie, meat, bread, and a few more completely non-vegetable things. "This is what you eat? This is it?"

Dean looked pleased when he nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeh."

She glanced at the list one more time before looking at the man. "We need carrots."

Ten minutes later, Nikki had a realisation that she was currently ordering Dean around, and he complied seemingly without thinking. Surreal. _Surreal._ She was ordering _Dean Winchester_ around, making him shop for carrots. She felt like laughing hysterically.

He was walking towards her with a heavy bag of potatoes with a questioning look. "Do we _really_ need this many potatoes?"

Nikki laughed. "Yes, we do. Now, would you go get cheese? Oh, and bacon."

Dean's whole face lit up. "_Now_ we're talking." He didn't move anywhere; he just smiled at her, and his expression was so pleased that she ended up smiling like a fool as well.

Nikki had no idea how long they stood like that before Dean finally snapped out of it. "Uh, yeah. Bacon. I'll get bacon." She didn't have time to answer him before he was behind a shelf, headed for the bacon.

They got to the cash register and Nikki smiled at the man behind it. The man gave her a slightly too wide smile back. "Would the lovely lady like a bag?"

Nikki realised she was the lovely lady. "Uh, yeah, sure."

The man kept on smiling as he quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper. He gave her a playful smile as he handed her the bag and the piece of paper. "Call me if you want to-"

"She will not be calling _anyone."_ Dean looked severely displeased, to Nikki's confusion.

The man behind the register didn't smile anymore. "Oh, I'm sorry man; I didn't know she was your girl."

Dean looked a little flustered. "Well, she..what does that have to do with anything! She just won't be calling anyone! Alright?"

They headed out of the shop, and Nikki almost had to run to keep up with Dean. He was several meters ahead of her, and with the speed they were holding, none of them saw the demon stepping out from the shadows.

The demon had his focus on Dean, but seemed a little too strong for Nikki's comfort, and she desperately tried to think. _What do I have? What can I do? Salt. SALT! No wait, gun! With iron bullets! But shit, shit, shitshit! It's not loaded. Why did I refuse to let Dean load it!_

Luckily, she _had_ the bullets, so she threw down the groceries and started roaming through her purse. Gun, check. Bullets, check. Now she just had to figure out how to get the bullets into the gun. _Ohgodohgodohgod! Stop shaking! You're supposed to be a hunter, this isn't helping!_ She glanced briefly at Dean. _OHGODOHGOD! Frikkin demon!_

Dean was on the ground. He was not knocked out, but the demon had obviously gotten in a well-placed hit, because Dean seemed a bit dizzy.

Nikki finally got the bullets in the gun, and when the demon sat up, seemingly to get his gun, Nikki pulled the trigger.

-o-

**Dean**

Dean knew he had to get hold of the situation like _right_ now. His mind had been somewhere else, and _of course_ there had to be a demon behind every frikkin corner just when he was distracted. But he had his demonblade. He just had to get to it.

The demon sat up and put his hand inside his coat, and Dean realised this was his chance to get the blade. He threw a glance to Nikki to see how she was doing, quickly realising that the girl was doing _just_ fine.

At the appearance of a demon, it seemed like Nikki had found her inner Lara Croft. As he watched, Nikki lifted her gun, making him briefly panic over the fact that it wasn't loaded, but then she fired.

As it turns out, iron lodged in the brain will immobilize demons, and Dean just watched as the demon slumped over. Pushing the demon away, he got up from the ground and stared at it for a moment.

"You should probably stab it…or something.." Dean realised Nikki was talking to him and turned to her.

He blinked at her for a moment. "You shot him in the head. You just..shot him in the head."

She nodded with wide eyes, and he could see her hands were shaking as she looked at the demon. "I know. It worked, though, didn't it?"

Dean shook his head in amused disbelief. "Yep. And it was totally awesome. _You_ were awesome. Nice job!"

He had had some doubts about this. If this was a good idea and if they could be hunters. If they could be trusted at all, to be honest. But so far, he had been given no reason not to trust them, and Nikki's reaction to a dangerous situation was not to freeze or panic. It was to learn, on the spot, how to load a gun, and then shoot the enemy in the head. And that was just badass.

-o-

They were back in the impala, with Dean drumming the steering wheel and humming. Today had been a good day. _Maybe this will work out, _he thought. _We should start training as fast as possible. She needs to start training with guns._

A snort of laughter from Nikki snapped him out of his thoughts. "What?"

Nikki looked at him with laughter in her eyes. "Dean?" He nodded expectantly at her, and she continued. "We have a demon in the trunk. There is a _dead demon _in the trunk, and that is definitely on the top-ten weird things to have happened in my life.

He raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a teasing smile. "Where does it rank compared to shooting a demon in the head?"

The genuine laughter this earned him had him straighten his back, making him feel like he just accomplished something great.

-o-

**Nikki**

Nikki felt all jelly-legged when they returned to the house. Jenny came out to the front porch, and her expression turned worried the instant she looked at Nikki. "What happened?"

Nikki looked at her. "I shoot a demon in the head. And now we have a dead demon in the trunk."

Jenny's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Are you okay?"

Nikki nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, I'm just shaken. I need to go to my room for a bit I think."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Nikki smiled at her friend. "No, it's okay, I just need to sort my head. I'll be back in a little while."

-o-

She was sitting in one of the chairs in her room when a knock came at the door. "Nikki? Can I come in?"

To her surprise, the voice did not belong to Jenny. It was Dean. She hastily un-braided her hair, and combed her hands through it. "Yeah. It's not locked, just come in."

He opened the door, and her heart leaped in her chest when she looked at him. Goodness, the man was a sight. He was wearing blue jeans and a grey t-shirt, which was quite regular by any standards, but Dean Winchester looked drop-dead-gorgeous in it.

He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at her as he leaned on the doorframe. "Are you alright?"

Nikki looked into his marvellously green eyes, and found that, yes she was in fact alright. "Considering how I shot a human being in the head today?" She waved her hand dismissible when Dean was about to interrupt. "I know, I know. It was a demon. But it was a demon inside a human host. It's disturbing." She sighed. "But the thing is; I am feeling surprisingly alright."

She turned her eyes to look at him. "Is it weird to feel bad because I feel alright?"

Dean chuckled as he came over to sit down. "No, it's not. Believe me. As a hunter, nothing is weird. You go through all kinds of crazy feelings and notions, and your world gets turned upside-down on a regular basis. You'll get used to it."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "I'll get used to it? Lovely." She had a rush of adrenaline, and her heart skipped a beat when Dean laughed. If this was how she felt from making the man laugh, it was going to be her new life's mission to do so.

And when she thought about it, Dean needed to laugh more. He wasn't exactly having the time of his life these days.

-o-

A little while later, Dean left and was shortly replaced by Jenny. "You killed a demon? Seriously?"

Nikki smiled at her friend's eagerness. "Dean killed it. I just shot it in the head."

Jenny threw her head back and laughed. "Oh my _God,_ that has to be the most absurd thing I have ever heard you say."

Nikki grinned. "I know!"

Jenny's expression sobered as she looked at her friend. "Honestly though, are you okay?" Nikki nodded and Jenny sighed with relief before she continued. "I'm so glad you are." She looked thoughtful for a bit before looking at Nikki. "A demon, huh? Wonder if Crowley knows anything about this."

"Know anything about what, love?"

Nikki was almost amused from the furious expression on her friend's face. "I swear to god, Crowley, King of Hell or not, I will start carrying around a salt-spray if you don't stop doing that."

It seemed The King of Hell was amused as well, because his lips tipped upwards as he spoke. "And I'm sure that would be a learning experience for both of us, my dear. Now, what is it that you are wondering if I know about?"

"Nikki and Dean were attacked by a demon today."

Crowley's expression instantly sobered. "Were they now? Hm." And then he was gone.


	5. Snowballfight!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
><em>

_Now, on with the story :D_

-o-

**Nikki**

The next two weeks went by in a flash, and today was the first day of November. The temperature was sinking, and the air smelled like snow. She was almost always feeling cold.

At least the training was going well, and her newfound skill with guns was making her feel kick-ass. With that in mind, she put on a woollen sweater and headed outside for another training session with Dean.

_Dean_. Just thinking the name made her heart skip a beat. He was just so..unbelievable. The way he smiled at her when she managed a great shot made her feel like a million bucks. And the ability he had to calm her down when she got frustrated amazed her.

The night before she had made apple cake. Not really apple pie, since she had no idea how to bake that, but she knew apple cake. So she had nervously served apple cake, resulting in Dean worshipping the ground she walked on for the rest of the evening. She had been completely light-headed from all the praise when she finally went to bed.

Nikki was walking down the stairs when she heard Jenny's excited voice. "Nikki! It's snowing!"

-o-

**Dean**

Dean was wondering what the hell was going on outside. If he hadn't heard laughter mixed in with the screaming, he would have thought that someone was in the process of being murdered right outside the house. Stepping into the living room, he raised an eyebrow in question to Bobby, but the man just shrugged and grumbled something in the line of _crazy women._

He had barely stepped outside when something hit him in the chest, causing hysterical giggling. Looking down, he barely had time to notice a white spot on his coat before something swooped by, barely missing his head. "Hey! What the hell!" He looked up to see two mischievous expressions locked on him.

Another white projectile headed his way, and he realised he was an unknowing participant in a snowball fight. "Oh HELL no! You have NO idea how much trouble you're in!" The hysterical giggling reached new heights as he ran towards the girl closest to him. "Nikki! Get over here! I'm going to kill you!"

He observed as he ran towards her that the training had obviously given the girl snowball-throwing-skills as well as shooting skills. She was running away from him while peppering him with snowballs, and pretty much every snowball hit the target, decorating his coat with snow-polka dots. Just great.

Dean had to admit his snow-running skills were seriously lacking, and he had actual trouble catching the girl. But at least he had gotten in a couple of well-placed snowballs, and the last one had hit her neck, making her scream as the snow melted.

Jenny had vanished somewhere, which suited Dean just nicely, because he could focus on the actual threat; Nikki and her too-accurate aim.

Finally, he caught her. He had a moment of panic where he wondered if he actually _had _killed her from slamming her into the ground, and his hesitation gave Nikki a chance to cram a fistful of snow down his coat. _Damn, the girl is fast, _he thought, before flipping her on her back, effectively pinning her to the ground.

He was about to give her a piece of his mind, and maybe a face-full of snow, but all he could think about in that moment was if anyone in the world could have as amazingly brown eyes as the girl under him. And if anyone could look that adorable, even with her hair full of snow and all-over tousled from playing in the snow. He didn't even think when he brushed a lock of hair from her face, making her eyes widen in surprise. _What are you doing? Just stop it before you embarrass yourself,_ he thought, and cleared his throat loudly. He let her go, and after a moment of hesitation, he grabbed her as he got up, throwing her over his shoulder before heading for the house. She squealed and he tightened his grip on her. "Hush, woman! Or else you won't get any hot chocolate!"

Dean's heart did not beat a little faster when she laughed. Not at all.

They entered the house, and after getting rid of the snow-soaked clothes, Dean headed for the kitchen. He heard laughter and screaming again, so he looked out the window. He was rooted on spot as he spoke with a disbelieving voice. "Nikki? I think I'm losing my mind. It's either that, or The King of Hell is having a _snowballfight_ right outside the house."

-o-

**Jenny – A few minutes earlier**

Jenny saw Dean head for Nikki, and decided that this was a good time to get lost. Although the two of them seemed oblivious, she was not, and had noticed the way they looked at each other. So she quietly turned a corner, letting the two of them continue the snowballfight without her.

She was in the process of making a snowman when she suddenly knew; she just _knew_ that Crowley was standing behind her. She spoke without turning around. "I wasn't kidding about the salt-spray, you know."

Her breath almost hitched when her suspicions were confirmed, and he chuckled. "I do not doubt that, love." He was silent for a moment. "What are you doing?"

She turned around and her voice was tinged with laughter when she spoke. "You cannot be serious. Are you honestly wondering what I am doing?"

When he looked a little offended, Jenny cocked her head. "I'm making a snowman! Kings of Hell really don't make snowmen? Too much fire down there?" She put her hands on her hips and gave him a wicked smile. "Ah, perhaps they only make snow-_demons!"_

Crowley raised an eyebrow at her. "Watch yourself, you insufferable woman."

Jenny could not, by any chance, help herself from what she did next. She had moved to stand behind the snowman, so her hands were hidden while making a snowball. She then thought about it for a few seconds before grinning devilishly, and throwing the snowball right at him.

She had never seen him look quite as shocked before, as when looking at the big white mark on his chest, ruining his otherwise impeccable appearance.

Jenny wondered if she was about to be killed over a snowball. But then his eyes narrowed and he swooped a bit of snow from the ground before quickly forming a snowball and threw it at her.

The situation escalated to the point where Jenny was running for her life while howling with laughter and Crowley was running after her while letting her know just how _foolish_ she was for agitating The King of Hell, and _exactly_ how much damage a Hellhound could do.

After a bit of running, they headed into Bobby's junk yard, and she discovered that all the cars everywhere made excellent cover. She ducked behind a car, and to her fascination, she could almost sense _where_ Crowley was. _What is this? Why can I sense him?_ She decided to not challenge the universe, so she added a _not that I mind,_ before sneaking in the direction of Crowley, but taking a detour to try to sneak up on him from behind.

She managed to catch him off-guard and ran up to him and jumped on his back before laughing with glee. To her surprise, The King of Hell caught her legs, and she put her arms around his neck, effectively making it a piggyback ride. She giggled. "Crowley?"

"Yes, love?"

"Do you give piggyback rides often?"

Crowley chuckled and shook his head. "No, sweetheart, I most definitely do not. Consider yourself lucky, hmm?"

She giggled with delight. "Oh, believe me, I do." She patted his head, and he scoffed at her as he let her slide off his back before turning around without really releasing her. She had to stop her breath from hitching, and her mind from going into overdrive from all the closeness before collecting herself enough to talk. "Crowley, why are you here? I am guessing you didn't come here to have a snowballfight."

He smirked at her. "No I did not. Although that was an added bonus. I am here to give an update on the demon that attacked squirrel and Nikki." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, I need a nickname for her, honestly."

-o-

**Crowley**

They entered the house and Crowley scolded himself when he was met with two shocked and one amused expression in the kitchen. So they had seen his moment of weakness when he decided to join in on the shenanigans, had they? Why Nikki looked so amused he did not know, but he knew it could not possibly be a good thing. He had to stop letting down his guard, honestly.

He glanced at the woman with snow-rumpled hair and bright eyes coming to stand next to him, and again she surprised him by giving him a beaming smile, which he was not sure what he had done to deserve. "Do demons drink hot chocolate?"

He chuckled. "Not normally."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do they make exceptions?"

His guard was dropped again as he raised an eyebrow back at her. "For insufferable women? Yes."

He turned to face Dean, whom had added a dropped jaw to his already shocked expression. Realising he was watched by The King of Hell, he straightened his face and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. What the hell are you doing here, Crowley?"

He sat down at the table and looked stiffly at them. "It seems that moving these lovely girls between universes has attracted some..unwanted attention."

Dean looked seriously upset now, and Crowley sighed as he waited for his outbreak. It was as expected. "Oh, _come_ on! Crowley, you son of a bitch, what have you done this time!"

Crowley folded his hands on the table and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Dean. _"__I_ have not done _anything._ Well, other than move the lovely ladies. But I had no idea it would have consequences."

Dean almost growled at him. "You had _no idea_ it would have consequences? That is _bullshit,_ Crowley, and you know it!"

Bobby seemed to suddenly be the voice of reason when he cut in. "Alright, alright. So it has attracted some attention. I would like to know more of what kind of attention, and how we deal with it."

His favourite time-traveller came to sit next to him, and when she placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him, he looked sideways at her and gave her a playful smile. To his enjoyment, she blushed. He lifted the mug, and if his sense of smell did not deceit him, she had added a drop of bourbon in there. He looked at her again with a surprised, but pleased look, and this earned him an amused, and quite lovely in his opinion, genuine smile.

If he did not know better, he could almost believe he was getting infatuated with the woman. But of course he knew better. Indeed.

-o-

After revealing what he knew, (which was not much) Crowley left, still a bit puzzled as of _why _he had just made a promise to give word if the girls were in any danger.

_I'm going soft_, he thought. _Bollocks._


	6. Rainbow-Coloured Cotton Candy

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
><em>

-o-

**Dean**

They all needed a break in his opinion, so he had suggested that they went out, had some beers, maybe a little bit of fun. Everyone had readily agreed, and he was now waiting for the girls to finish getting ready and come downstairs. Finally, he could hear their voices in the upstairs hallway.

Jenny came down the stairs first, and Dean laughed when he saw her t shirt. The girl had a thing for t shirts with funny prints it seemed, and this one had a quote. **_I stopped fighting my demons; we're on the same side now._**

He shook his head at her. "Crowley will be the smuggest demon ever if he sees that shirt."

She grinned at him. "I'm counting on it." She gazed up the stairs. "You coming?"

Dean was not prepared for what came next. Nikki came down the stairs, and he was completely blown away by what he saw. She walked elegantly, and the elegance was quite impressive, considering the high heeled pumps she was sporting. She was wearing jeans, which took jeans to a whole new level of _sexy._ His breath hitched as he watched her walk the last steps, and he had a surreal feeling of being in one of those teen-movies where he was waiting for his prom-date to come down the stairs

He was fidgeting when she finally stood in front of him. "Uh..yeah..let's go then, shall we?"

-o-

About two hours later they were sitting in a booth at in a bar, and Dean had a moment where he contemplated on how much life could change in less than three weeks. The reason for the contemplation was that so far, he had yet to buy another beer, because that was taken care of by a beautiful girl in high heels, and it seemed she had an uncanny ability to know _just_ what he wanted. Next there was his brother, who laughed rarely these days had laughed three times, _three times,_ from something Nikki had said, and _twice_ from something Jenny had said. These girls were turning their lives upside-down. And the weird thing? He did not completely hate it. He could get used to it, actually.

Sam was currently whispering something in Jenny's ear, and by the looks of it, Jenny was not fooled in any matter. She giggled and punched Sam's shoulder, and he shrugged in a meh-it-was-worth-a-try kind of way. Dean chuckled. The girl had a backbone.

The same could definitely be said for Nikki. She was the new Lara Croft in the gang. He was amazed by her progress with the training, and he was over the period where he stressed out whenever she was holding a gun. He had quickly realised there was no reason to be stressed whatsoever. She was a natural.

Sam had vanished somewhere, and Dean was not sure how long he had been lost in thought when Nikki returned with new beers. She looked around. "Where is Jenny?"

Dean felt instantly alarmed. "She said she was going for a smoke, but I am not sure how long ago."

Nikki quickly found her phone, and he could see her relax. "Ah, it's okay, she is with Crowley."

His head snapped up to look at her. "What? How exactly is that _okay_?"

She held up the phone so he could read. **_Everything is confetti; Crowley came and zapped me to France. Seriously, WTF. I'll explain later. Oh, btw, it seems I'm staying here for a while, because quote: 'Honestly, love, no one leaves France without at least seeing the Eiffel Tower.' So yeah, I'm in France, and on my way to see the Eiffel Tower. (Omg) enjoy your evening, I'll see you later._**

Dean looked at Nikki. "Confetti? And _France__? _The _Eiffel Tower?_ You have got to be frikkin kidding me."

Nikki grinned. "Confetti is a safeword we have, and it tells me that she is legitimately fine. If she had written peaches on the other hand, well, then a rescue mission would have been in order."

-o-

**Jenny - a few minutes earlier**

Jenny was slightly buzzed and the fresh air was doing her good. She could not _believe _the very inappropriate suggestion Sam had whispered in her ear. He was going to be so embarrassed when he remembered later. She shook her head from the thought.

She sensed him before she heard his voice in her ear. "You are a very foolish woman, you know that? You are hunted by several demons, and you decide to just stroll around _on your own?_

She turned around to face the agitated demon. "I am not exactly _strolling,_ now am I? I am right outside the bar! I just needed some air!"

Crowley rolled his eyes at her. "You should not be alone at all! And what had you in such a need for air? Needed a break from all the _flirting_, perhaps?"

Jenny could have sworn the man was jealous. But this was Crowley; he did not really get jealous, now did he. He was angry with her, though. She cocked her head at him. "Why are you angry with me?"

He rolled his eyes. Again. "I would have thought that to be obvious. You are making yourself a target by standing out here on your own."

She noticed that there were no pet names or suggestive tones from the man. He was obviously really annoyed with her. But if he was _that_ annoyed.. Did that mean he actually cared what happened to her? She gave him a puzzled look. "Why do you care, though?"

The question caught him off-guard, and he hesitated for a moment before the clear annoyance re-appeared on his face. "The Winchesters would be displeased to lose you."

She sighed. "Very well. I better go back to _The Winchesters_ then. Later, Crowley."

She turned around, but didn't even have time to take one step towards the bar entrance. "Oh no, love, you are not getting away that easily."

She felt him grab her and pull her close to him, and then the world spun out of control.

-o-

She gasped for breath as the world came back into view. "What the _hell, _Crowley!" She looked around, to realise she had most certainly _never _been here before. She spun around to face the demon that had just _kidnapped _her. "What the..where..what did you do?!"

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, and she could swear she saw a flicker of confused surprise there before his expression turned smug. "I'm glad to see you recover so..quickly. You needed some air, did you not? The air is better here, in my opinion." He drew a deep breath. "Just try it."

She stomped her foot on the ground. "Crowley!"

He gave her an amused smile. "Yes, love?"

"Where the hell are we?"

"Paris, love."

-o-

**Crowley**

He looked at the infuriating little creature in front of him. She should have known better than to wander off on her own, silly little chit. It left him no choice but to take her somewhere else, somewhere she would be safe. Not that it really needed to be _Paris_, but it had been the first thing that came to mind when he decided to take her with him.

It seemed like she was waking up from her shock, and he braced for her reaction. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Paris?" He nodded, and her voice was breathless when she continued. "But I don't even have my coat."

The unexpected response to realising her location made him burst into laughter. _"__That_ is the first thing that comes to mind? You don't have your _coat?"_ She nodded, still wide-eyed, and he was sure he would fall into a rare fit of laughter if he didn't get himself under control soon. He shook his head at her. "Well then, my dear, we cannot have you freezing, now can we? Here." He took of his frock-coat and wrapped it around her, and the sight of her sighing with relief as she snuggled into his coat made something flutter inside him. He shook off the feeling and raised an eyebrow at her. "I like your t-shirt, by the way. Am I one of _your _demons, then?"

She looked a little defeated when gave him a small smile. "You are _my_ _only _demon, Crowley."

The way her eyes widened when she realised what she was saying made him want to burst out laughing again. He smiled at her in a most suggestive way as he leaned in and offered her his arm. "And you are the only one I have ever taken to Paris, love. Now, shall we?"

She automatically took his arm, but then froze and let go again. "Shall we _what?_ I can't be here, they are probably already wondering where I am! We have to go back!"

He knew he would take her back if she really wanted to, but it would not be for lack of trying to make her stay. He cocked his head at her. "Honestly, love; no one leaves France without at least _seeing_ the Eiffel Tower." When she started to fidget, he realised there was a chance that she would stay if he just played his cards right. "Look now; do you have your phone? Call them, text them, tell them you are alright, and then we can go see Paris." She was still hesitating, so he rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, _come__on,_ what will it take you to stay?"

Her eyes flashed up, obviously surprised by his outburst. So was he, when he thought about it. Her face slowly broke out in a smile as she looked at him. "A pony."

He frowned in confusion at her. "I beg your pardon?"

She was grinning now. "A pony. That will make me stay."

He slowly realised she was not being serious at all, but had every intention of staying. Hopefully. He gave her an amused smile. "Love, I will buy you a race horse if you just make up your mind."

He was pleased to see her quickly type a message on her phone before putting it away and turning to him with a beaming smile. "So, the Eiffel Tower, was it?"

He offered his arm, which she took, and looked sideways at her. "Indeed. That is, if you don't want to eat first?"

"Demons don't eat, do they?"

"No, but I assume human beings do."

"They do. And this one is actually famished, when I think about it."

He smirked at her. "It's a date, then."

-o-

**Nikki**

Nikki was sitting at the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring her the drink she had ordered. Dean and Sam were all set with beers, but she felt for a drink for a change. _I can't believe Jenny is in Paris,_ she thought, as she typed a text for her friend. **_Still going strong in Paris?_**

She quickly got a reply and was happy to see that Jenny had used their second-tier safeword: Parade. She was, however, surprised at the enthusiasm in the text message. **_Paris is a parade! I'm at a restaurant at the moment, ohmygod! I am at a French restaurant! This restaurant is a parade! Crowley is a parade!_**

Not even twenty seconds later, she got another text. **_Wait, did I just write that Crowley was a parade? Christ, I am in so much trouble with this literally damned man. I like him, Nikki! I like the King of Hell! WTF!_**

She was trying to type back, but another text came before she could figure out what to type. **_This has to be the weirdest thing ever. I'm in PARIS with the frikkin King of Hell, and honestly? Confetti all over the place. I'm going to make a movie called 'Can't even in Paris.' Anyway, said King of Hell is reminding me of 'proper phone etiquette', so I have to go. I'll talk to you later 3_**

Nikki just grinned at her phone for a moment before quickly typing **_You go girl! Talk later. _**Just as she pressed 'send', a man, a quite handsome one actually, sat down on the barstool next to her. "Let me buy a drink for a beautiful lady?"

-o-

Nikki managed to last almost ten minutes before she was ready to kill the man. She was about to say something really rude when she felt an arm around her waist. The whisper in her ear made it all the way to her toes. "This man bothering you, baby?" His breath tickled her neck and she had to fight the urge to turn her head and just _kiss _the man. She settled for leaning into his embrace, which, to her surprise, Dean answered by pulling her slightly closer.

She sighed in content before smiling. "Not at all, I was just about to come back to the table actually."

Dean smiled back at her, and she had a moment where her brain disconnected completely before she collected herself so she could hear what he was saying. "Let's go then, shall we?"

He pulled her with him, and she wanted to sigh with frustration when his arm left her waist as they sat down. His expression turned hard as he looked at her. "Do you really have to speak with _every_ man you see?"

This was not what she expected him to say. Not at all. She had no idea how to even react. "I..I didn't.." She felt her confusion turn to anger as she realised the unfairness of what he accused her of. "I have done nothing of the kind. I have talked to _three_ men tonight, and that is you, Sam, and that annoying man you just saved me from. Four men if you count the bartender." Dean did not respond, and she continued. "But even so, it's not like there would be anything _wrong_ with it if I did! You are not the boss of me, Dean Winchester."

Nikki had a moment where she was unsure if the beer bottle would break when Dean almost slammed it down on the table. "If you decide to tramp around in bars, then you can be damn sure I will be the boss of you! We don't have time for this kind of bullshit. If you want to be a hunter, then you should stop being so damned irresponsible!"

Nikki had no words. She knew that if she opened her mouth now, to say _anything,_ she would most certainly regret it later. She took a deep breath, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at Dean with cold eyes. "I would like to leave, please."

-o-

The drive home was painfully silent. None of them said a word, and when they reached the house, Dean was out of the car in a second, heading for the porch. Just as he reached it, Sam came out of the house. "What's with the door-slamming?"

Dean tried to pass his brother, but Sam wouldn't budge. "Nothing! Nothing, alright? Just leave me alone. Don't be an asshole, Sam." Dean tried to push Sam, much to the taller man's dislike. So Sam pushed back, which was most certainly not a good idea.

Nikki ran over to the men to try to stop the escalating situation. She grabbed Dean's arm, but he shook her off, and the ground was icy, making her lose her balance and fall backwards. She landed hard on her back, and her head slammed into the ground.

She was probably out of it for a moment, because the next thing she knew, she could hear Dean's voice. "Oh, god, oh crap, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Nikki, can you hear me? Oh, crap, she's bleeding!" She opened her eyes to see two worried, green eyes look back at her. He put his hand on her cheek. "Nikki. Nikki can you hear me?"

The world was starting to come into focus again, and she blinked a couple of times. "Yeah, yeah I can hear you. I'm alright."

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "The hell you are, you're bleeding. Jesus, I'm such a _douchebag_."

She actually managed a smile as she tried to sit up, but was held down by two strong arms. "Oh no, you don't." A few moments later she was scooped up in said arms, and Dean Winchester carried her inside the house.

She was almost amazed by the gentle way he places her down on the couch. He stood up, and pointed at her. "Don't move, I'm going to get the medical kit."

Nikki was starting to feel really foolish as she was waiting for him to get back with the kit. _I'm probably bleeding on the sofa, _she thought, and started to try to move a bit. That resulted in a sigh as Dean re-entered the room. "No, don't. I need to check how bad it is."

She sighed as well. "But I'm bleeding on the sofa."

That resulted in a chuckle from Dean as he came and placed the medical kit on the table next to her. "Honey, this sofa has been through worse."

His hands were so very gentle as he slowly helped her up so she could sit. He placed himself behind her, and she hissed when he touched her head. "Oh god, I'm so sorry."

She smiled, although he couldn't see it. "Dean, it's okay, honestly. It was stupid of me anyway."

She could hear him sigh behind her. "It was not stupid. _I'm_ stupid. I'm so _frikkin_ stupid."

He took his time, cleaning the wound and bandaging it, and all the while he was doing it she could hear him mumbling different variations of _'__I'm such an enormous douchebag.'_

After a long while he finally sighed. "There. Now, I am not sure if you have a concussion or not, so you should not fall asleep in the next few hours."

Nikki felt like she was already about to fall asleep so she made a displeased sound which resulted in him apologising again. "I know. And god, I'm sorry." He got up from the sofa and smiled at her. "But at least we have popcorn! Want to watch a movie?"

-o-

**Jenny**

She couldn't believe she was in France. _France! _ It was quite frankly absurd. Crowley had taken her to a breakfast restaurant, seeing how it was eight in the morning here, and she was more or less moaning her way through two croissants with chocolate, and a pile of fresh strawberries. She snapped out of her food-porn moment when Crowley cleared his throat. She looked at him. "What?"

His eyes were dark when he looked at her. "Love, if you do not stop eating your food in such an..enthusiastic fashion, we are leaving this restaurant to go somewhere more private. Right now."

Jenny was sure her face was as red as the strawberry she was holding. She quickly put the strawberry back on the plate, and Crowley chuckled.

-o-

A while later, Jenny had a realisation as she was laughing at something Crowley said, that she was genuinely enjoying herself. She decided that spending the day in Paris with the King of Hell was not the worst idea ever. She looked at him. "What other things are there to do in Paris?"

He smirked at her. "You like it here, do you? Well, there is the Eiffel Tower of course, and then we have The Louvre, the Paris catacombs, Notre Dame.." He raised a mocking eyebrow. "Disneyland." It seemed he quickly realised his mistake when Jenny's expression turned excited. "Oh, no, love. That will not be happening. We are not going to Disneyland."

-o-

**Crowley**

Disneyland. The King of Hell was in Disneyland. And he had no idea how this had happened, how she had managed to fool him into coming here. This was _absurd. _

Although, looking at the infuriating creature that had somehow managed to convince him this was a good idea, he could not help almost not regretting it. She had such a beaming smile on her face, and she was actually clapping her hands as they passed through the gates of Disneyland. "Oh my _God!_ This is even better than I thought!"

Crowley scoffed at her, but then she smiled at him and grabbed his hand, and her eyes were positively sparkling with excitement. "This is awesome! Do you think they have cotton candy?"

He couldn't help himself but to chuckle from her excitement. "I am positive they have cotton candy, love. Probably an obscene amount of it, even."

-o-

The rainbow-coloured cotton candy turned out to be a huge success, and the way she was almost always touching him in some way pleased him. Perhaps a little more than it should.

It amused him that she did not really like the Disney-characters that walked around, and every time a huge Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck passed by, she grabbed onto his arm. The irony of it did not escape his notice. He chuckled. "It's rather ironic."

She looked at him. "What is?"

"The fact that you seek comfort from The King of Hell whenever Mickey Mouse scares you."

She threw her head back and laughed. "That _is_ ironic, really." She grinned at him and linked her arm in his. "Although, I think it's a good decision. The King of Hell _should_ be able to protect me from Mickey Mouse."

He smiled genuinely at her. "Oh, I'll protect you, love."

And wasn't that the most annoying, and quite confusing thing. He had every intention of protecting her. And not only from Mickey Mouse.

_Bollocks._

-o-

**Jenny**

Disneyland was amazing. And her companion seemed to tolerate the ordeal better than she would have expected. He was currently, because she did not have any money, in the process of buying her a soda. The King of Hell was buying her soda. The whole thing was completely out of whack.

When he didn't notice, she quickly snapped a picture with her phone. And then she squeezed the phone to her chest for a moment, like it was some expensive treasure.

He rolled his eyes as he handed her the soda. "There you go, you insufferable thing."

She felt like retorting with the same tone, but had a sudden change of heart. He had been nothing but amazing the whole day. Giving her his coat, buying her breakfast, standing in line to get her rainbow-coloured cotton candy. And taking her to _Disneyland_ for Christ sake. The man deserved an award.

Instead of giving him a snarky comment in return, she put down the soda on the bench next to her, stepped forward, and put her arms around the man and _hugged_ him. He had a moment of hesitation, but then he put his arms around her and embraced her, and she sighed in content.

Her voice was almost a whisper when she spoke. "Thank you. Thank you, Crowley."

She could hear, and feel actually, him chuckle. "If I had known you would be this grateful for a soda, I would have bought you one much sooner, love."

She let go of him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't be infuriating. You know what I mean. You are actually a very sweet man, when you feel like it."

Crowley gasped with mock-disbelief. "Perish the thought." He narrowed his eyes at her. "If you ever mention this to anyone, they will never find your body."

She grinned at him. "I will be sure to remember that. Now, come on, _sweetheart, _I think this will be more up your alley."

-o-

**Crowley**

The infuriating thing had the audacity to call him _sweetheart._ And he did not like it. Not at all. Alright, maybe a little, seeing how he had never been called anything of the kind before, but she would most certainly never know that.

He turned to look at what she was pointing at, and the sight made him grin. "A haunted house? That is indeed more up my alley."

The trip through the haunted house was entertaining to say the least. Crowley was fascinated by the fact that this little lady, whom had given _him_, The _King_ of _Hell_, attitude from day one, was currently in deep terror from seeing a plastic ghost. It had taken two minutes inside the house before she was holding on to him for dear life, and in the end he had just pulled her into his embrace as they were walking. When they got to the Omnimover Vehicle part of the house, she was instantly back in his embrace the moment he sat down in the vehicle.

She was at the point where she had her face buried in the crook of his neck when he laughed. She sounded quite displeased when she spoke in a muffled voice. "What? I am just taking a break."

Crowley placed a light kiss on her head, much to his own surprise. "I am sure you are, love. Although, you took a break throughout the whole trip, because we are done."

Her head snapped up. "Oh thank god!"

She looked so relieved that he had to stop himself from really bursting into laughter. "I am quite sure God had absolutely nothing to do with this place. Now, is there any other horrendous place you would like to go to, or are you quite finished with Disneyland?"

She grinned at him. "Aw, you don't like it here? Don't worry; I am quite finished with Disneyland. Do we have time for more before we go back? Because if so, I would love to go to The Louvre."

-o-

**Dean**

He had to be the douchiest of douchebags in the whole world. Glancing over at the girl in the sofa next to him, he could not believe she was sitting here, laughing with him at the movie they were watching. She should have been cursing him and yelling at him for being such a total and utter asshole. Not only did he more or less call her a slut, which he knew was a blank lie, but then he had gone ahead and caused her to fall and hurt herself. Really bad, even. Bleeding-from-the-head-bad.

What the hell had gotten him so upset? He had seen her talking to that man, and his brain had gone all territorial on him. He had switched into alpha-male mode, and he didn't even know why. The guy she was talking to was obviously a complete moron, of course, but that did not mean that he had to go over there and interfere. And the things he had said to her.. Oh, god, he was such a _douchebag!_

Her phone vibrated, and she unlocked it just to fall into a complete fit of laughter. "What? What's so funny?"

Nikki was gasping for air when she tried to speak, so in the end she just handed him her phone. He looked curiously at the screen, and realised what she was laughing at. Jenny had sent her a picture. He just looked at it for a long moment. "Is that..is that _Disneyland?"_ Nikki obviously tried to speak, but ended up with just nodding at him while giggling uncontrollably. He looked at the picture again. It showed Jenny, accompanied by the King of Hell, and in the background you could see some of a pink fairy tale castle, which he recognised as one of the Disneyland princess-castles. The King of Hell was wearing red devil-horns, and Jenny had a hair-thing with a halo attached to it.

A few moments later, the phone vibrated again, and Nikki fell into another breathless laughing fit as she handed the phone to Dean. This time he couldn't help himself from joining her, and ended up without being able to breathe from laughter.

The second picture showed Jenny and Crowley again, but this time she was wearing the devil-horns, and the King of Hell was wearing the halo.

When they were finally able to breathe again, Dean looked disbelievingly at Nikki. "What is she doing to the man?

Nikki grinned as she shook her head. "I have no idea, but it's hilarious."

-o-

A little while later, Dean realised they had completely forgotten about the movie they were watching, and had been just talking for at least an hour. Nikki had just finished a story about one time she had lied to the cops when she yawned. He smiled at her. "Tired, huh?" When she nodded, he pulled up a pillow and made a 'come hither' motion with his hand. "Then sleep. But sleep where I can watch over you."

She sighed with relief and leaned into him. He was almost sure she was already asleep when he pulled the blanket over them.

-o-

**Jenny**

The Louvre was quite frankly incredible. And, as it turned out, Crowley was the best Louvre-tour guide she could have ever asked for. Not surprisingly, he was more in his element here than in Disneyland, and he probably had more knowledge about the pieces of art in here than any of the actual tour guides. Jenny walked around with an almost constant awestruck expression that made The King of Hell chuckle frequently.

When she yawned, he cocked his head at her. "I think it is time to get you to bed, my dear."

She was surprised to hear no trace of suggestiveness in his tone, and it almost confused her. But yes, she was definitely tired. Not very strange, considering it was almost noon back in South Dakota. She sighed, and the sigh sounded genuinely sad. "You are probably right." A thought struck her. "But I haven't even seen the Eiffel Tower! Can we go there the next time?"

Crowley raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Next time, you say?"

She quickly realised her mistake. "Oh, sorry. I shouldn't assume.."

He cut her off. "Assume all you want, love, but can we please skip the Disneyland-part the next time?"

The thought of visiting Paris with Crowley a second time made her feel positively euphoric, and she couldn't help the beaming smile on her face as they headed towards the exit of The Louvre.

They found a spot hidden from view, and Jenny expected Crowley to just touch her, like Cas did on the show, but to her surprise, he pulled her into an embrace and whispered in her ear. "Close your eyes, love."

She did, and leaned into him. And waited. After a long moment he just let her go, and she frowned with confusion as she opened her eyes. "Why didn't you.. Wait, what?" They were standing on the porch of Bobby's house, and she looked at Crowley with a confused face. "Why didn't I feel it?"

She was even more confused when Crowley just looked at her with disbelieving eyes. "You didn't feel it? At all?"

She thought about it for a second. "Hm, no, not really. Why? Is that a bad thing?"

When he kept looking at her with the same expression, she was actually starting to get somewhat worried. But then his expression suddenly changed, and to her breath-hitching surprise, he leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead before gazing at her. "Thank you for a surprisingly lovely day, my dear."

She cocked her head at him. "Thank you for kidnapping me to Paris. Thank you for everything. But aren't you at least going to tell me why I did not feel when you zapped us back here?"

He gave her a small smile. "The more you trust me, the less unpleasant it becomes. So what does it mean if it is not unpleasant at all?"

She gave a little gasp. "That I trust you?"

He looked at her for a long moment before nodding. "That you trust me. In a way I do not deserve, love."

And in the next moment, he was gone.

-o-

Jenny entered the house, still in Crowley's coat, and was met by two sleeping figures on the sofa. Dean woke up as she stepped into the living room, and put a finger to his lips to stop her from making any sound. Then he whispered. "Long story, she needs sleep. Let's talk tomorrow. Or tonight. Or whatever the time is."

She nodded at him, and watched him, ever so gently, scoop Nikki up into his arms and carefully carry her up the stairs in the direction of her room. She followed him, and when she closed the door to her own room, she let out a long breath she did not know she was holding. It felt like all the energy left her in an instant.

She took off Crowley's coat, and in a moment of weakness she hugged it, before placing it on a chair. Changing into a night gown, she sighed deeply and climbed into her bed.

Jenny was sure it had to be a dream, the growling she heard outside just as she was falling asleep.


	7. Hellhounds

_For some reason, I thought Crowley called one of the Hellhounds Lucy in one of the episodes. Soooo, that's what we are going with xD _

_Thanks for reviews and follows :-D you are lovely people! _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

-o-

Jenny woke up some hours later and got dressed before groggily heading downstairs. The house was silent, and she decided to head outside for a smoke, cherishing the rare moment of peace.

Sitting on the porch, she thought for a second that she was hearing things, because the growling that had filled her dreams was still somehow in her mind. It was like it came from all around her.

Then she saw them. And she instantly recognised them from the show. _No. .way. I'm going to die, aren't I. Oh, fuck._

Three Hellhounds were running right towards her and Jenny realised she wouldn't have time to run inside the house, no one would have time to wake up and save her, and would there be any use in calling Crowley? He had to be the one that had placed them here, after all.

She felt her heart sink as she realised how wrong she had been. The King of Hell wanted them dead after all. And she was going to be the first to go.

The Hellhounds were about two meters from her when her instincts kicked in, and she abruptly got up and lifted a hand towards the approaching beasts. **_"Stop!"_**

She had a feeling the Hellhounds were just as surprised as her when they actually listened to her and came to a screeching halt in front of her. She straightened her back and pointed at the beast closest to her. "Yeah, you _better_ listen to me! Or else I'll be..uh.._really mad!" _

The Hellhound she was pointing at actually whined, and Jenny felt like she was going to topple over from shock at any moment. _Why the hell can I see them? I'm not supposed to be able to see them._

The question was; what the hell should she do now? Alright, so she could see the Hellhounds. And they seemed to listen to her, for some godforsaken reason. _Perhaps they aren't here to kill us? Maybe they are here to watch over us?_ The thought seemed a little farfetched, but since they had yet to maul her to death.. Well, maybe The King of Hell had a soft-spot after all.

The Hellhound closest to her was starting to move towards her, and she pointed a finger at it and looked him straight in the eyes. "No. _Sit."_ To her tremendous surprise, the Hellhound sat down.

Jenny wondered what to do now. She cocked her head at the beasts. "Are you here to watch over us?" A thought struck her. "Lucy?" One of the hounds gave an excited yap, and Jenny actually giggled. "Well, nice to meet you, Lucy."

She observed the Hellhounds in front of her, and realised that although they were a bit see-through, and blue-ish with red eyes, they looked very much like normal dogs. Lucy was actually wagging her tail, and Jenny stretched out her hand, deciding to take a chance. "Come here, girl." The tail-wagging increased as the red-eyed dog stepped forward and sniffed the outstretched hand. "Can I pet you? Do you even like being petted?" She got her answer as Lucy nudged her head at Jenny's hand.

A while later, Jenny was sitting in her room, staring into empty air.

_So, I petted a Hellhound today, _she thought. _What is the world coming to?_

The next time Jenny heard the growling outside the house, she wasn't afraid.


	8. Ninjas!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

_-o-_

Everyone in the house fell into a rhythm of daily routine. The girls would go out to work on their hunting-skills, come in and make breakfast, they would eat together with the rest of the household and continue to research whatever topic they felt they needed to know more about. And that was about everything.

They enjoyed spending time with Bobby, whom was like a living Wikipedia on the supernatural, and he was secretly enjoying spending time with the girls as well. They were smart, everything he said stuck, and they loved to spoil him with small treats like fresh coffee, a cold beer, a sandwich etc. He actually had agreed to try carrots with dip, after threatening the girls with death if they ever told Dean or Sam.

Bobby wasn't used to being spoiled in such a way, so he sure as hell wasn't going to make them stop making these little treats. Although he made some faint attempts to, but at the same time hoping they didn't listen to him. They were a smart-mouthed pair of girls, but they had to be, thinking about whom they lived with.

Bobby had more than once thought about the surprising feeling in his gut that told him it was as if they were meant to be here, with them. It was almost like hunting was the most natural thing for them, landing in this insane world that was so different from their own. They had lifted the energy in the house, somehow. And much to his surprise, Bobby liked it. And he liked how it affected Dean, and to some point, Sam(being soulless and all) Those boys deserved something else than the constant darkness around them that seemed to have become the normal, default setting.

Dean and Nikki had gotten to know each other a bit more. Like Nikki always needed coffee before she could even think about talking in wholes sentences. So surprisingly, to Dean as well as the others, he always made fresh coffee in the morning. Not because he knew she liked it, of course not.

Nikki had been surprised to learn that Dean did, in fact, love mountain dew as much as beer. Although he wasn't willing to admit it, being the manly man and all. The times she and Jenny had gone out to get food and supplies, Nikki had bought the energy drinks just because she knew how much he liked them. She didn't make a big deal out of it, she just put them in the fridge, giving Dean a small smile, letting him know she had noticed.

When these glancing, staring, half-smiling things were exchanged between the elder Winchester and her best friend, Jenny rolled her eyes, secretly hoping for Nikki to see what she saw. Jenny had also noticed how much they were bickering, always sending sarcastic replies to one another, shouting over everything and nothing. But once in a while there were these silent moments, as if they couldn't help it, they locked eyes and would be like that until someone entered the room or snapped them out of it. _Drama, drama, drama_, Jenny thought.

Dean wasn't used to be attracted to a woman more than eight hours at a time, and being around Nikki was something he had trouble getting enough of. And it confused him to the point where he tended to lash out. On Nikki in particular.

Nikki really liked being at Bobby's house. She had found her self-relaxing more than she thought she would. Although training was frustrating, and there was only cold water left when she got up in the morning to shower, she liked it here. She enjoyed the calmness she got around Jenny, who was as settled here as Nikki was. They had come to terms with their current situation, and even if none of them said it loud, they had no hurry in getting back to their life on the other side of the window.

Nikki also had a feeling of why Jenny liked it here. Jenny was often found standing in the kitchen, looking out the window, as if watching something that wasn't there. When Nikki asked, Jenny would shrug it off, saying something about barking dogs and stalking kings.

Nikki smiled at her dearest friend, thinking how much that had changed. They were close friends, always had been. But recently they had become closer. Nikki could almost hear Jenny's thoughts. Although everybody else in the house seemed to be oblivious, Nikki could see her friend struggle with the thought of being attracted to a certain Mr Crowley. And because Jenny was Jenny, she had a hard time coming to terms with exactly how much she liked a certain demon. Because it was not only _a_ demon, it was _the_ demon _of all_ demons, The Frikkin King of Hell.

But Nikki had a strong feeling Jenny would figure out how to solve this. Because she had seen the way Crowley looked at Jenny when he thought no one was watching, and it wasn't difficult to see that The King of Hell had a bit of struggle himself. It was almost funny, the way Jenny seemed to have the gruesome, evil king on a leash.

Jenny loved Bobby's way of teaching, the surprisingly calm, gruff man that knew just about everything about everything. Sam and Dean were giving them information as well, but they weren't as patient as Bobby. And Dean would always end up getting on Nikki's nerves, or vice versa, and then everything would escalate into Jenny and Sam rolling eyes, Nikki trying to rein her temper and Dean getting thrown out of the room by Bobby. Nikki would apologise to them, an angry blush creeping into her cheeks, embarrassed of behaving like a 5 year old. She wasn't used to being like this, and she didn't like it.

But she felt safe, in this house, with these people. Especially around Dean, even though he irritated the crap out of her. But still, he was one of the best hunters to be around if something bad happened.

Jenny would look at Nikki, sending her the smug look, like I-think-this-is-hilarious-look, and Nikki would roll her eyes with a small smile and huff, trying to get back to the original topic.

-o-

It was time to go, after weeks of training, learning, waiting and some more training; Bobby meant they were ready to try a minor hunt. Some witches in a town nearby.

"Yeah, what could possible go wrong, right?," Sam said sarcastically. But Sam had started getting ready right away, while Dean had tried to argue that witches weren't the best thing to try on their first hunt.

Nikki immediately spoke up, eyes shining saying: "We are soo ready, come on Dean, pleeeease..We'll just follow your lead. We can't just sit here."

Dean looked at Nikki, clenching his jaw, green eyes meeting brown ones. They stayed like that until Jenny broke the staring contest. "We promise to follow your lead; we have to learn by doing some actual hunting. We might be useful, this is what we have been preparing for in weeks" Jenny said in a soothing voice, with a hint of hope. Both girls looked excited as well as a bit scared. But the determination in both girl's eyes and voice was quite clear.

Bobby muttered "About time! They're ready Dean. Hell, they have been ready for some time now, if you ask me".

Dean sighed, rubbing his neck, before saying "I hate witches!"

Nikki held her breath, wanting to shake the guy, but knew that would ruin their hunt before even getting out of the house. Sam came in, looked around the room, before he picked up the last bag of equipment, nodding to Dean and went back outside.

Dean shook his head, pointing a finger at both girls saying "You can come, on one condition! You do not, under any circumstances, go out there on your own. If Sam or I are out of your sight, you stay put where you are. If we get separated, you hide! If you meet the witches straight on, you call us! Is that clear?"

Nikki was about to roll her eyes, but then Dean looked at her, and she saw how serious he was. This was the hunter, not just Dean. The serious face made both Nikki and Jenny to really understand that this was for real. They were actually getting to go on a hunt! They looked at each other, noting the others worry mixed with excitement. They felt ready, and Jenny gave Nikki a calming smile before heading upstairs to change clothes.

Nikki sighed, got up from the desk she had been leaning on, trying to get upstairs without Dean noticing her nervousness. A hand came up, catching her arm. "You okay? If you can't handle it, you have to tell me now. I don't mean to be rude, but this is some serious shit." She lifted an eyebrow, nodding and feeling her nerves settle down. It seemed like he found whatever he was searching for in her eyes. He had to be sure that the girls could handle it. He let go of her arm, shrugging a bit. "Witches are bad news, really bad. I promise that we will keep you safe, but you have to be sure. Can't have anybody fainting on their first job, right?", he joked. She knew he was trying to reassure her that they would be safe coming with them. This wasn't a joke though, and he was being precautious. She knew that when they came with Dean and Sam, the guys would be more vulnerable too. Being a group of four to take care of, is much harder when you could have been just you and your brother.

"We're ready, Dean" She smiled, and could see the conflict in Deans eyes. She wanted them to trust her and Jenny, they were ready for this, and she just knew it.

"Okay then. Just...just follow my lead, okay?" Nikki looked at him, seeing the conflict settle to determination. She hoped it was because he chose to believe it. He gave her a smile, a one that reached his eyes and she couldn't stop herself from grinning back.

And then a funny thing happened. Her heart fluttered, spiking with something edging on anxiousness, but, at the exact same time, a sense of calm-almost relief-rushed through her. How was it possible to be nervous and relaxed at the exact same time?

"Nikki, get changed, we're going in five!", Sam yelled from the hallway, rolling his eyes impatiently. She blushed and headed to the stairs, hearing Dean cough. Nikki looked over her shoulder, just in time to see Dean shake himself, looking at her, before going out the door to wait in the Impala.

"Jenny! we're going hunting!", Nikki almost shouted to her friend. She had put on black jeans, a black sweater and black boots. Jenny was zipping up her shoes; she had also pants in black, a dark red sweater and black scarf.

They looked at each other, giggling, both thinking the word "Ninjas!" before they both sighed and Jenny said with determination. "We really have to do this and not fuck up. But I think we can do this, don't you?"

Nikki could feel her nervousness calming down, smiling at Jenny. "I really hope so, I feel ready, but wow...this is serious shit right, feels different from watching it on TV." Jenny smiled, looked out the window, following something with her eyes before shaking her head, saying "I think we will do just fine, Nikki."

Before they left the house, Jenny looked around, searching for her phone. When she found it, she put a quick text down, hitting send before she could regret it. It was their first hunt after all, and she just wanted to tell Crowley where they were heading, just in case. It's not like she wanted him there or anything, but better safe than sorry.

But Nikki had a strong feeling Jenny would figure out how to solve this. Because she had seen the way Crowley looked at Jenny when he thought no one was watching, and it wasn't difficult to see that The King of Hell had a bit of struggle himself. It was almost funny, the way Jenny seemed to have the gruesome, evil king on a leash.

Jenny loved Bobby's way of teaching, the surprisingly calm, gruff man that knew just about everything about everything. Sam and Dean were giving them information as well, but they weren't as patient as Bobby. And Dean would always end up getting on Nikki's nerves, or vice versa, and then everything would escalate into Jenny and Sam rolling eyes, Nikki trying to rein her temper and Dean getting thrown out of the room by Bobby. Nikki would apologise to them, an angry blush creeping into her cheeks, embarrassed of behaving like a 5 year old. She wasn't used to being like this, and she didn't like it.

But she felt safe, in this house, with these people. Especially around Dean, even though he irritated the crap out of her. But still, he was one of the best hunters to be around if something bad happened.

Jenny would look at Nikki, sending her the smug look, like I-think-this-is-hilarious-look, and Nikki would roll her eyes with a small smile and huff, trying to get back to the original topic.

It was time to go, after weeks of training, learning, waiting and some more training; Bobby meant they were ready to try a minor hunt. Some witches in a town nearby.

"Yeah, what could possible go wrong, right?," Sam said sarcastically. But Sam had started getting ready right away, while Dean had tried to argue that witches weren't the best thing to try on their first hunt.

Nikki immediately spoke up, eyes shining saying: "We are soo ready, come on Dean, pleeeease..We'll just follow your lead. We can't just sit here."

Dean looked at Nikki, clenching his jaw, green eyes meeting brown ones. They stayed like that until Jenny broke the staring contest. "We promise to follow your lead; we have to learn by doing some actual hunting. We might be useful, this is what we have been preparing for in weeks" Jenny said in a soothing voice, with a hint of hope. Both girls looked excited as well as a bit scared. But the determination in both girl's eyes and voice was quite clear.

Bobby muttered "About time! They're ready Dean. Hell, they have been ready for some time now, if you ask me".

Dean sighed, rubbing his neck, before saying "I hate witches!"

Nikki held her breath, wanting to shake the guy, but knew that would ruin their hunt before even getting out of the house. Sam came in, looked around the room, before he picked up the last bag of equipment, nodding to Dean and went back outside.

Dean shook his head, pointing a finger at both girls saying "You can come, on one condition! You do not, under any circumstances, go out there on your own. If Sam or I are out of your sight, you stay put where you are. If we get separated, you hide! If you meet the witches straight on, you call us! Is that clear?"

Nikki was about to roll her eyes, but then Dean looked at her, and she saw how serious he was. This was the hunter, not just Dean. The serious face made both Nikki and Jenny to really understand that this was for real. They were actually getting to go on a hunt! They looked at each other, noting the others worry mixed with excitement. They felt ready, and Jenny gave Nikki a calming smile before heading upstairs to change clothes.

Nikki sighed, got up from the desk she had been leaning on, trying to get upstairs without Dean noticing her nervousness. A hand came up, catching her arm. "You okay? If you can't handle it, you have to tell me now. I don't mean to be rude, but this is some serious shit." She lifted an eyebrow, nodding and feeling her nerves settle down. It seemed like he found whatever he was searching for in her eyes. He had to be sure that the girls could handle it. He let go of her arm, shrugging a bit. "Witches are bad news, really bad. I promise that we will keep you safe, but you have to be sure. Can't have anybody fainting on their first job, right?", he joked. She knew he was trying to reassure her that they would be safe coming with them. This wasn't a joke though, and he was being precautious. She knew that when they came with Dean and Sam, the guys would be more vulnerable too. Being a group of four to take care of, is much harder when you could have been just you and your brother.

"We're ready, Dean" She smiled, and could see the conflict in Deans eyes. She wanted them to trust her and Jenny, they were ready for this, and she just knew it.

"Okay then. Just...just follow my lead, okay?" Nikki looked at him, seeing the conflict settle to determination. She hoped it was because he chose to believe it. He gave her a smile, a one that reached his eyes and she couldn't stop herself from grinning back.

And then a funny thing happened. Her heart fluttered, spiking with something edging on anxiousness, but, at the exact same time, a sense of calm-almost relief-rushed through her. How was it possible to be nervous and relaxed at the exact same time?

"Nikki, get changed, we're going in five!", Sam yelled from the hallway, rolling his eyes impatiently. She blushed and headed to the stairs, hearing Dean cough. Nikki looked over her shoulder, just in time to see Dean shake himself, looking at her, before going out the door to wait in the Impala.

"Jenny! we're going hunting!", Nikki almost shouted to her friend. She had put on black jeans, a black sweater and black boots. Jenny was zipping up her shoes; she had also pants in black, a dark red sweater and black scarf.

They looked at each other, giggling, both thinking the word "Ninjas!" before they both sighed and Jenny said with determination. "We really have to do this and not fuck up. But I think we can do this, don't you?"

Nikki could feel her nervousness calming down, smiling at Jenny. "I really hope so, I feel ready, but wow...this is serious shit right, feels different from watching it on TV." Jenny smiled, looked out the window, following something with her eyes before shaking her head, saying "I think we will do just fine, Nikki."

Before they left the house, Jenny looked around, searching for her phone. When she found it, she put a quick text down, hitting send before she could regret it. It was their first hunt after all, and she just wanted to tell Crowley where they were heading, just in case. It's not like she wanted him there or anything, but better safe than sorry.


	9. A Leap of Faith

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! :D _

_-o-_

**Jenny**

Jenny was a bit surprised at the calm mood in the car as they drove towards their destination. She turned her head towards Nikki and smiled, and the easy smile Nikki gave in return gave her a sense of yeah-we-can-do-this.

They could do this. They could be hunters.

She looked out the window, and what she saw made her smile. Christ, those Hellhounds could run fast. Jenny wondered why she had not told anyone yet, about her being able to see the Hellhounds. Not to forget being able to _control_ them.

It just felt so fragile, this thing she had with the beasts. And she felt so safe with them around. They were there to protect them, she was _sure_ of it. They did not hurt anyone, even if she was not around, and no one, except her, had even _discovered_ them yet. The hounds were definitely there to protect them. And she was sure that if she told her housemates, the whole thing would blow up in her face and they would lose the extra layer of protection.

She was especially fond of Lucy, having formed some sort of a bond with the female Hellhound. She had figured out the names of the other two dogs as well, remembering Crowley calling one Juliet in one of the episodes, and that Mark Sheppard once stated that Crowley's Hellhound was called Growley. Which she found hilarious, by the way.

Growley seemed to be particularly fond of Bobby. Whenever the gruff man was working in the yard, Growley was always somewhere around, keeping the man safe.

The Hellhounds were quite lovely creatures. The thought was ridiculous. And hilarious.

-o-

"Alright, according to Sam's research, there are two witches. They live here, and here." Dean pointed at a map before continuing. "But every Tuesday they meet to do..whatever it is they are doing."

As they entered the house where the witches where supposedly having their Tuesday-meeting, Jenny realised she that she had a feeling where they were. She tapped Dean's shoulder and whispered. "Uh, I'm not sure how to explain this, but just go with it. The witches are downstairs."

Dean narrowed his eyes, just looking at her for a long moment, but then he shrugged. "Okay, that's..weird. But your guess is as good as any. Let's see if we can find a basement." He started to walk, but stopped and turned towards her, pointing a finger at her. "But you will explain yourself when this is over."

-o-

The situation escalated quite quickly when they reached the basement. Sam tried the Witch-killing-spell, but to no avail. "Dean! The spell is not working! Why isn't it working?!"

Jenny watched in horror as one of the witches threw Sam against the wall, knocking him out. _Oh GOD, something is sticking out of him!_ She didn't have time to think about Sam anymore as one of the witches switched focus towards her. She looked into the witch's eyes and all she could think was _calm down, just calm down, and stop what you are doing._ To her surprise, the witch hesitated for a moment, giving Dean enough time to knock her out.

The next thing Jenny remembered was lying on the floor, and her head _hurt._ Looking around, she could see Nikki and Dean was on the floor as well, and the remaining witch was incanting something. Jenny felt the magic almost crackle in the air, and had a moment of panic before she realised they had backup. "LUCY!"

The whole thing was over in a moment. Lucy popped up next to her before going straight for the witch, and Jenny had to look away as the hound almost tore the woman to shreds.

Jenny had a surreal moment when the Hellhound that had just savagely killed a woman bounced over to her and yapped while wagging her tail. She patted the dog. "Yeah, you did good, girl, thank you."

Dean was not amused. He looked at her with disbelieving eyes and Jenny could hear the desperation in her own voice when she spoke. "I'll explain, I _swear! _ But Sam! How's Sam?!"

-o-

**Nikki**

Nikki had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that the witch was currently dying, and it seemed, so was Sam. She crawled over to him. "Sam! Sam, can you hear me?" When he did not respond, she took his pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt a faint beat. _He's losing too much blood! Didn't he have something lodged in his abdomen? _Looking the man over, she could see the thing that had probably been in his abdomen. He was holding a large, bloody, wooden splinter in his hand. _Oh, shit, you stupid man! You should have left it in there! _She looked around for something to help her stop the bleeding, but not finding anything; she did the next best thing and pressed her hands on the wound.

And then the most miraculous thing happened. Nikki watched in disbelief as her hands started to glow faintly, and she felt her palms heat up.

Time stopped in that moment, and the world stood still as she watched the morbid contrast of the golden light from her hands on the deep red blood. Her head raced with thoughts, and she was filled with a surreal feeling that came out in one single question. _Am I healing him?_

And as the world held its breath, Nikki took a leap of faith.

-o-

**Jenny**

She had one thought in her head; she had to stop Dean. She had to calm Dean down, or else he would tear Nikki away from Sam, and right now, that would be the most stupid decision ever made.

Because right in this moment, Jenny was watching as Sam's wound slowly stopped bleeding underneath Nikki's hands. Underneath Nikki's _glowing_ hands.

Jenny grabbed onto Dean. "Dean! _Dean!_ Stop it, can't you see? She is _healing_ him! You are not helping Sam by stopping her!" She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "Dean. Just look at the wound. It's almost not bleeding anymore." That did the trick. Dean visibly calmed down and instead of trying to get to his brother, he sat down on the floor next to Nikki. Jenny sighed with relief.

She felt a snout nudge her hand, and crouched down to face the Hellhound. Stroking the dog's head, she whispered. "Thank you, Lucy. This whole thing blew up in our faces, didn't it? I think you saved us, honey." The Hellhound gave a small whine before placing her heavy head on Jenny's shoulder. Jenny closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them again to look straight into a pair of legs and a black coat. Her heart sank as she followed the trail of buttons until she met a pair of disbelieving eyes.

She let go of Lucy and was about to say something, but was surprised to find Crowley on one knee next to her in a moment, reaching out a hand to cup her face. His expression was filled with worry and her heart skipped a beat from hearing the emotion in his voice when he spoke. "I was too late. You're hurt."

She was about to shake her head, but when she felt his thumb gently stroke her cheek, she decided she would rather he kept doing that, so she gave him a small smile instead. "I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes, and she flinched when he lifted his other hand to touch her forehead. "You're bleeding, love."

Her fingers graced his as she touched her bleeding forehead. "It could have been worse. Lucy saved us." Jenny smiled as the dog nudged her big head on her arm. "Yeah, you did, didn't you? Good girl, Lucy." The expression of complete confusion on Crowley's face almost made her laugh, but she sighed instead. "Yeah, I can see them, for some reason. Does that mean I am damned?"

He shook his head disbelievingly. "Not as far as I know, and I being The King of Hell, I _would_ be the one to know."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and was about to say something, but in that second Jenny's eyes widened as she realised that she had lost herself in yet another moment with The King of Hell. "Sam. Sam!"

She got to her feet and spun around, and the sight that met her made her blush _furiously_. How long had they been watching? She looked at the now-awake Sam, and he almost smirked at her. "Yeah, nice of you to remember me."

Jenny winced from the look Dean gave her as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Everyone has a whole _world_ of explaining to do." He pointed at Crowley, and Jenny glanced back to see that said demon was looking quite uncomfortable. "And _you_ are coming with us."

-o-

After an uncomfortable ride home, they were all sitting in Bobby's office, and Dean was standing in the middle of the room with a cross expression. He turned to Jenny. "You. Explain yourself."

Jenny sighed and looked at Dean. "The short version? I have no idea what's going on. It seems I can sense demons, and witches obviously, but I haven't really thought about it until we were standing in that house. And that's the truth. Other than that, I can see Hellhounds. And they have been protecting us for a while now."

Dean looked furious. "And _why _the _hell _haven't you said anything?! What gave you the brilliant idea to _not _tell us there are frikkin _Hellhounds _running around the house?"

Jenny looked down on her feet for a moment before giving Dean a defeated look. "Not a very smart move, I admit. But they are _protecting _us."

Before she could continue, Dean interrupted her. "You don't know that! For all you know, this could be another of Crowley's murder-schemes!"

Crowley cleared his throat. "If that was the case, you would already be dead, mate."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Not helping, Crowley." Dean was ready to attack the demon, and Jenny continued. "Do tell, though, _why _are there Hellhounds running around the house?"

She was surprised to see Crowley look uncomfortable for a moment. "They are here to protect you, as you so nicely put it." When Dean looked disbelievingly at him, he continued. "I can't have my demons going rogue on me, now can I?!"

Sam chuckled from his very relaxed state in the sofa. "Not able to control your minions, Crowley? Or maybe you're just _worried?_ The King of Hell has a heart after all."

Jenny could see the effect Sam's sarcastic tone of voice had on Crowley. And when Lucy suddenly popped up next to the demon, she braced herself. Crowley looked at Lucy before turning his eyes towards Sam. "Give him a lesson, girl." Everyone froze as the Hellhound headed for Sam, and Jenny realised the growls coming from Lucy were audible.

She quickly rose from the corner of the desk where she was leaning. "No! Lucy! Come here, girl!"

The King of Hell gasped as Lucy instantly turned around and went to sit next to Jenny. "How in the bloody hell..."

Jenny looked at Crowley with narrow eyes. "That was plain ridiculous, even for you. And now would probably be a good time to zap your way out of here." The King of Hell looked at her one last time with shocked eyes, and then he was gone.

There was a long moment of silence before everyone looked at Bobby as he chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned. Did she just _alpha_ Crowley?"

-o-

**Nikki**

Nikki was tired. Healing Sam had sucked the energy right out of her, and she was currently having a difficult time keeping track of the escalating conversation in the aftermath of Crowley's departure.

In the end, she just got up from the chair she was sitting in and rolled her eyes. "Hey!" Dean turned to her, and she continued with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but it seems healing Sam wore me out. So can we just get to the part where I explain myself, and I can go to bed?"

The way Dean's expression changed when he looked at her made her heart flutter. His eyes turned soft, and his voice was gentle when he spoke. "Did you know?"

She had a moment of confusion before realising what he was asking. "That I could heal? No. I had no idea whatsoever until I put my hands on Sam's wound."

Bobby cut in. "Then there ain't nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

Dean looked at her for a long moment before taking a step towards her and pulling her into his arms. The embrace lasted for just a moment, and Nikki could hear a soft whisper just before he let her go. "Thank you. Thank you for saving my brother."


	10. What About Purgatory?

_Time to get to the more important matters at hand, perhaps?_

_Disclaimer (as usual): I own nothing. (As usual.)_

_-o-_

**Nikki**

Nikki thought she heard sounds coming from the hallway later that night, and went to open the door. What she saw almost made her giggle. The King of Hell was standing outside Jenny's door, and he was obviously hesitating. "Can I help you?" Crowley spun around to look at her, and she raised her eyebrows in question. "You aren't going to hurt her, are you?" The expression of shock on his face at her suggestion told her everything she needed to know. "Good. Now, just knock, will you? I am pretty sure she'll let you in. Jenny doesn't really hold a grudge." When he just huffed at her, she just grinned and closed the door.

-o-

**Crowley**

The _insolence_ of some people! Suggesting that he, _Crowley, _was somehow _insecure? _Although, what was he doing here, lurking outside the door? The King of Hell did not _lurk_! And why was he standing here? He was mad at her, for goodness sake! _She_ should be the one lurking! He knocked on the door before he could change his mind.

The anger vaporized the instant she opened the door. Jenny was standing there with bandage on her forehead, and when he looked her over, he could see several bruises on her arms. He reached out and took her hand, turning it palm up to see even more bruises. Her expression was soft when he met her eyes. "Are you here to yell at me? Because I'm not sure I can handle it after today. I'm tired."

He gazed at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I was fully intending to, love. But I seem to have lost my momentum."

She smiled softly at him. "Good. Do you want a cup of tea?"

-o-

Crowley looked at the wild-haired woman that was currently snuggled up in the armchair with a blanket and a cup of tea between her hands. "You're hurt, my dear."

She cocked her head at him. "You keep saying that. And I will keep saying that I am fine." Before he could answer, she continued. "Don't worry, I _am_ fine, honestly. I bruise easily. Very easily."

He sighed. "And I am not quite sure if I find that answer satisfactorily. But very well." He paused a moment before continuing. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I assume you mean about the Hellhounds?" Jenny shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe because I was afraid that you would take them away."

Crowley chuckled. "Well, at this point, I am not sure I _could_ call them back, even if I wanted to. Lucy has always been the alpha, and if she listens to you over me.." He shook his head. "Why? Why do they listen to you?"

Jenny shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "I have absolutely no idea. They just do." She looked away for a moment before turning her eyes back at him. "You know, I thought you intended to kill us, to kill me, when I saw them running towards me."

His head jolted up slightly. "You thought I wanted to kill you?" When she nodded he shook his head. "Be certain, love, I do not want you dead. I want you safe. I need you safe." He saw her let out a small sigh of relief, and the sight hurt him more than he expected.

She smiled softly at him again. "Why?"

_That,_ he thought, _is the question of the century._ Why did he have this need to keep her safe? He wasn't sure he knew himself. He gazed at her for a long moment before sighing. "I don't know, love."

-o-

**Nikki**

She had taken a shower and was getting ready to go to bed when she heard a knock on the door. Opening the door, she found Dean standing there, and immediately felt self-conscious from the fact that she was wearing just an oversized t-shirt and shorts. "Uh, hi."

His eyes widened at the sight of her, and she inwardly cringed. Why couldn't she use pyjama bottoms like regular people? After a brief awkward silence, he rubbed his neck and gave her a half-smile. "Right. So." He paused a moment before continuing. "Am I bothering you?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Do you want to come in?"

He stepped past her and she closed the door before turning to him with a small smile. "What's up?"

Dean hesitated for a moment before looking at her. "How bad was it? With Sam? He was dying, wasn't he?"

Nikki nodded. "I honestly believe so, yes. I had a hard time finding his pulse because it was almost non-existent. Basically, he was bleeding to death because he pulled out the huge-ass splinter that was lodged in his abdomen." She rolled her eyes. "And may I add how incredibly stupid that was of him?"

In the next moment, Nikki found herself in a strong embrace, as Dean pulled her into his arms. She completely forgot how to breathe from the way he held on to her, like he was holding something precious. The raw emotion in his voice and the intensity of his words were completely heart-breaking when he spoke. "So he would be dead if you hadn't been there to save him. Sam is alive because of you." He took a step back and looked down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes. "I can't.. I don't know what I would have done if.." Nikki's breath almost hitched when he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. "I.. Thank you. Just..thank you, Nikki."

She didn't even know what to say. Her heart was racing and she almost had trouble breathing. Collecting herself, she put her hand over Dean's and gave him a soft smile. "I am just happy that I was able to help."

He smiled at her, and the smile was so warm that her breath almost hitched again. "Me too." He chuckled. "You have no idea." To her frustration, he removed his hand and gave her another half-smile. "I'll let you get some rest. See you in the morning, alright?"

She wanted to declare that sleep were for the weak, and that she had absolutely no need for it, but her body reminded her how false that statement was, so she sighed and smiled back at him. "In the morning."

He turned and walked towards the door, but stopped for a moment and looked at her over his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here."

Before she could answer, the door closed, and he was gone.

-o-

She woke up the next morning from a knock on the door, and Jenny's voice. "Nikki? Can I come in?" She gave an approving sound and her friend entered the room looking excited.

Nikki smiled at her. "What's up?" Jenny held up two cards, and Nikki raised her eyebrows in confusion when she saw the visa-sign on them. "Uh, what?"

Jenny grinned. "The Remorseful King of Hell is making our lives easier. We officially have our own money!"

After a bit of explaining, Nikki learned that Crowley had shown up with the cards, explaining that each of them had fifty thousand dollars on them, and that he was not taking no for an answer.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I tried, believe me. I think he spent almost an hour convincing me. In the end, he threatened to come here with the actual hundred thousand in cash just to burn them in front of me. Crowley is quite persistent, to say the least. I caved in the end."

-o-

They were still sitting in Nikki's bed an hour later, having moved on to a new subject. Jenny sighed. "So it's decided. We try to stop Castiel from opening purgatory. No crazy I-am-your-new-God-Castiel, no leviathans, no Dean going to purgatory, and no Bobby dying. We will talk to Crowley, and we need to find a way to talk to Castiel as well. What about our housemates?"

Nikki thought for a moment. "Do you think Castiel and Crowley are already working together? Maybe we should talk to Crowley first.. Actually, I think _you_ should be the one to talk to Crowley. Alone." She smirked at Jenny. "Go all alpha on his ass."

Jenny grinned. "And what a nice ass it is. But yeah, maybe that is a good idea. I'll go see if I can reach him now. I'll be back when I have talked to him, and we'll take it from there."

-o-

**Jenny**

She sat down in the armchair of her room and picked up her phone to text Crowley. But then she put it down again, wanting to test something. She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts. "Crowley?" She cracked open one eye to find herself still alone in the room. She tried again. "Crowley, I need you." Still nothing. Jenny picked up her phone.

"I have been waiting for a long time to hear you say that, love."

Jenny jumped from his sudden appearance, and rolled her eyes from the seductive look he gave her. "You're still as infuriating as always, I see. I meant that I need to _talk _to you,"

He sighed dramatically. "Crush a demons hope, will you? Very well, what is it that you need to _talk _to me about?"

She looked at him as he came to sit down, trying to figure out how to approach this carefully. "What do you know about purgatory?"

His expression turned surprised before he rolled his eyes. "Ah, that's right. I keep forgetting you know everything. What about purgatory?"

"You need to forget about it."

"And I am supposed to just accept that? I'm afraid I will need a bit more information than that, love."

Jenny sighed. "I gathered as much. Was worth a try, though. The thing is, if purgatory is opened, it will end very badly. For everyone involved. And no one will gain anything from it. It all ends up with purgatory being closed again."

Crowley gazed at her for a long moment before speaking in a soft, almost sad voice. "And why should I believe you, love?"

It hurt. She had expected it, but it still hurt. She brushed it off and looked him directly in the eyes. "Because I am not lying. Because I will never deceive you, unless you force me to do so. No offense, but you _are_ a demon, _and_ The King of Hell. We might reach a point where you decide to go rogue on me. I'm not naïve, after all. But if I can help it, I will not lie to you. And I am definitely not lying about this."

Crowley just looked at her with a grave expression for a small eternity before sighing. "What will happen?"

"Crowley, I can't really tell you. I have no idea if what I am doing right now is a dreadful idea or not. Who knows the consequences of changing the future? But the short version is this. Opening purgatory results in leviathans being unleashed onto earth. You know, the monsters God _created_ purgatory for in the first place, to lock them away? And it will end very, very badly."

To her surprise, he looked confused at her for a moment before speaking. "I think I believe you, love."

**-o-**

**Nikki**

Later that day, Nikki decided to get out of the house for a little while. Jenny had told her about her talk with Crowley, learning that he had not yet started an alliance with Castiel. So now they just needed to stop the trench-coated angel before he was in over his head.

And most importantly, they needed a new way to kill Raphael. That was most likely going to be a bitch.

Nikki decided to clear her head, and put on her coat before heading out. She was walking around on the far end of Bobby's junk yard, completely lost in thoughts about Castiel when a sudden sound made her jump. The sound of fluttering spun around to find the source of the sound and gasped from the sight that met her. The disbelief was clear in her voice when she spoke "Castiel?!"


	11. Castiel!

_So, I own nothing, honestly._

_-o-_

**Nikki**

She couldn't believe her eyes. There he was, the Angel of the Lord, with his crystal blue eyes, beige trench-coat and curious expression. "Castiel? What..uh..hi?"

He stepped closer and cocked his head. "Yes, I am Castiel. What are you?"

She frowned in confusion. "Um, I'm Nikki."

He interrupted her before she could continue. "No. What are you?"

Nikki had no idea what he meant. "I.. I am human?"

He stepped even closer to her, making her giggle nervously from the complete invasion of privacy as he leaned in and studied her. "Not completely."

Her expression turned surprised. "What do you mean?" She took a step back to try to regain some personal space, but he followed her, making her feel like she couldn't breathe. "Give me some space, will you? You are a bit too close for comfort."

He immediately stepped back, giving her a small nod. "I apologise. Angels do not have the same needs as humans do."

She smiled at him. "I know. What do you mean by _what _ am I?"

He looked at her with a tilted head. "You are not an angel. Why do you have grace?"

Nikki had no idea what to say. Or what to even think. She couldn't think. "You..you must be wrong."

He looked at her with confused surprise. "I am not wrong. I recognise other Angels. I see their grace. But you are not an angel. I don't understand."

Nikki just stared at him for a moment. "Well, neither do I. That's for sure." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I am Nikki. Nikki Ianurias." Castiel just looked curiously at her outstretched hand, and she sighed. "I'm trying to shake hands with you. As a greeting."

He frowned at her, but hesitantly took her hand. "Strange." He looked at her again. "Ianurias? Why does that sound familiar?"

Nikki shrugged awkwardly, seeing how Castiel was still holding her hand. He obviously didn't completely master the art of handshaking. "I don't know. It's just my family name. Not a very practical one, people have a hard time getting it right. And everyone thinks it is Januarias."

Castiel shook his head. "It is familiar. I will find out why." He cocked his head at her again. "You are..different. Why did you pray to me?"

Nikki looked confused at him. "I didn't."

"But I heard your voice say my name."

"I haven't said your name. Or, I did earlier when I was talking to my friend, but not now." Nikki had a realisation. "But I was thinking about you. Right when you appeared. What exactly did you hear?"

"Just my name. Repeatedly."

"Huh. Well, my thoughts were really focused on you when you appeared. But I did not intend for you to hear it. Why did you hear it? Is it because of my..." Nikki didn't know if she could even say the word. It seemed so far out. "My grace?"

Castiel nodded. "That seems likely. But I should go."

Nikki grabbed his sleeve to make him stop. "Wait! You can't just leave like this! We have to talk to you!" When he just looked at her she continued. "Do you know who I am?" Castiel shook his head, and Nikki contemplated what to do. She was supposed to talk to Castiel together with Jenny, but she knew that Castiel didn't visit often these days. Maybe this was the best chance she would have in a long time. She took a deep breath. "I'll give you the short version. I am from a different universe..or something like that. And I know what will happen in the future. And you need to stop searching for a way to open Purgatory. The result will be that you go mad with power, and then unleash leviathans onto earth. You don't do the last thing on purpose, but still. Stop what you are doing, Castiel. We will find a different way to kill Raphael."

Castiel looked at her for a long time. "That is why you are different. You are not from this world. But there is no other way to kill Raphael. He is too powerful."

Nikki shook his sleeve. "No! You have to stop! It's going to end very, very badly. You kill so many people."

He looked gravely at her. "Let me see it." Then he placed two fingers on her forehead, and the sensation that filled her was incredible. And strange. Because she could _feel_ him inside her head. She focused her mind on him dealing with Crowley, betraying Dean, then Crowley, then the image of him as God, with the manic expression. Then she focused on him releasing the leviathans, and what the consequences was. Not wanting to show too much, she stepped back.

The expression on Castiel's face was utterly heart-breaking. And then there was a flutter of wings, and he was gone.

-o-

Nikki was sitting in her room later that evening. She had told Jenny about her meeting with Castiel, and the two of them had gone to their housemates. The conversation had been a long and difficult one, where they had weighed their words carefully. They had not spoken of Castiel's betrayals, only about purgatory. He had not yet actually betrayed anyone, so why cause grief, after all.

Everyone had been completely shocked at the fact that she had grace, and they had tried to call Castiel, but to no avail. Bobby had gone into total research-mode, and probably had his nose in some old tome right at this moment.

Then she had checked on Sam, and he was healing wonderfully. There was only a bruise left where there had been a bleeding wound the day before.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Jenny entered. "Nikki, I have been thinking. Why haven't we told Dean to talk to Death?"

Nikki realised her friend was right. There wasn't really a good reason for holding that information back. "True. How did they find Death? It was Crowley, wasn't it?"

Jenny nodded. "Let's see if he will do it again. Or not again, really. Uh, whatever." Nikki watched Jenny close her eyes. "Crowley?" Jenny smirked. "Crowley darling, I need a favour."

Nikki jumped when the demon suddenly appeared. Jenny grinned at him and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Darling, now is it? You are playing dirty, love. What exactly is it that you need?"

Jenny smiled at him, and Nikki could see the warmth in her friend's smile. "Thank you for coming. We need you to find Death." Crowley almost recoiled and Jenny put a hand on his arm. "You do not need to talk to him or anything. We just need his location. It was Chicago last time, but I'm not sure when that was."

Crowley shook his head. "And _why, _exactly, do I _need _to do this?"

"Because you will end up doing it anyway. Dean needs to talk to Death." Jenny gave another warm smile, and Crowley smiled back at her before rolling his eyes. "You will be the death of me, woman, honestly. Very well. Am I allowed to know the reason for why I should do something so insane?"

Jenny looked at Nikki, and Nikki shrugged, so Jenny turned back to the demon. "He will get Sam's soul back."

-o-

Nikki found Dean a little while later in the living room. "I need to talk to you."

Dean got up from the couch and looked at her. "Alright. What about?"

She gave a small smile. "About how to get Sam's soul back. Let's sit down?"

They sat down in the kitchen and Nikki folded her hands on the table, looking at the visibly tense Dean. "You need to talk to Death."

Dean looked wide-eyed at her. "Oh, come on, really? _That's_ how we get his soul back?"

Nikki nodded. "In the end, yes. It won't be easy, though. And I am not going to tell you how, because I am afraid that will muck it up. Since it ends with Sam getting his soul back, I don't want to change the way the conversation goes. So I am afraid I need to send you in blind. You just need to talk to Death, and ask him if he can get Sam's soul back. That's what you did last time. Or will do..uh..whatever, you know what I mean."

Dean stared into empty air for a long time before looking at her. "Alright. How the hell do we _find_ Death, though?"

Nikki gave him a smug smile. "Oh, that's already taken care of. Jenny talked to Crowley, and The King of Hell is working on it as we speak."

Dean actually laughed. "I have to say I like her more and more. She has Crowley completely whipped. I can't believe it."

Nikki grinned. "Pretty much, yeah." She got up from the table and looked at Dean. "I'm dead tired. No pun intended. I really have to go to bed." Dean got up as well, and before she knew it, she was in his arms once again. She could _really_ get used to this.

Her heart almost stopped when she felt him place a kiss on her head before letting her go. "Thank you. _Again._ I will thank Jenny as well. Now, go to bed. No wonder you are tired after today. Goodnight, Nikki."

The small kiss had a leading role in her dreams that night.

-o-

_Author's note: I remembered later that the whole Crowley-found-Death-thing was not quite how it originally was. Buuut, we are still going with it xD_


	12. Friendship Bracelet

_I own nothing, really._

_Thank you for your reviews, favourites and follows! You are wonderful!_

_-o-_

**Jenny**

Another week passed by without any word from Crowley, and Jenny realised she was starting to genuinely _miss _the demon. She missed him really bad, actually. Without thinking, she picked up her phone and texted him.

**_How are you? _**

After pressing send, she rolled her eyes. How are you? _Really?_ She was about to send another text, but the sudden familiar presence in her room interrupted her. "Missed me, love?"

She turned around, and there he was. And Jenny realised how much trouble she was in by the way her heart went batshit-of-the-rocker-crazy from the sight of him. _Oh, fuck,_ she thought. _Oh, fuck my life. I'm not in love with him, am I? Shit, I am. I am in love with him. .great._ Yeah, she was in big trouble. Being in love with The King of Hell was probably the worst idea, _ever._ She was _so_ screwed.

She tried to get her emotions under control as she smiled at him. "Well, to be honest, yes I have. I must be going insane."

His expression turned surprised for a moment before he collected himself. He stepped closer to her, and she tried to remember how to acquire oxygen. He leaned in a bit, and for a moment she was sure he was going to kiss her. To her utter relief, and complete misery, he did not. He just smirked at her. "Have you now? I think I like the sound of that." He studied her for a moment. "Breathe, love."

Jenny blushed. He managed to catch her reaction. Just great. She gave him an annoyed look. "I might, if you give me some personal space."

-o.

**Crowley**

He stepped back from her with a chuckle as he wondered what had caused her to tense up in such a way. And had she actually missed him? The idea of someone genuinely missing him was so foreign that he shook off the whole thing as unlikely.

One thing was for sure, though. _He_ had most certainly missed _her._ And it annoyed the life out of him. The King of Hell was _annoyed._ Annoyed that he kept catching himself thinking of her, annoyed that he found himself _wanting_ to do her favours, annoyed that he wanted to spend time with her for no reason or agenda. Annoyed that she _confused_ him. The King of Hell did not appreciate feeling confused. He did not appreciate the way she caused him to have.._feelings_ . He couldn't identify if. He did not understand what was happening to him. And it frustrated him immensely.

The last week had been annoying as hell, seeing how he, at least twice a day, had to convince himself that no, he did not need to zap over there for just a minute, and no, there was no reason to give an update on his search, because the new lead he had was probably as useless as the last.

He had decided that he would most certainly stop answering her every call, which he had already failed miserably, because here he was at the first sign of life from her.

What confused and frustrated him the most was the way she made him act. He had trouble keeping up his guard around her, and it caused him to display weakness. Like when he had arrived at the house to find her bleeding on the floor. He had not thought, he had just acted, resulting in the sodding Winchesters catching him in a vulnerable moment.

And yet he couldn't find it in him to stay away.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he realised she was talking to him. "Excuse me, what?"

She was standing with her back to him, in the process of making tea. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as she rolled her eyes. "I _said,_ have _you_ missed _me?"_

_Oh, you have no idea,_ he thought, as he smiled wickedly at her. "Immensely, dearest." _What do you know,_ he thought, _this can work._ He could actually just tell her the truth, nicely hidden in flirt and irony. She gave him a puzzled look, making him go through what he just said. Had he just called her dearest? He wasn't even aware that the word existed in his vocabulary. No wonder she looked puzzled. Marvellous.

-o-

They were on the second cup of tea, and Crowley was in the process of inwardly scolding himself from being ridiculously charmed from the fact that she remembered how he liked his tea. He put a stop to his foolish chain of thoughts and looked at her. "So, why did you summon me?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Uh, well first of all, I didn't actually summon you, I just texted you, wondering how you were. Other than that, I had no particular reason in mind." She sipped her tea before continuing. "I am not one for hidden agendas, to be honest. I'm pretty straightforward."

He just looked at her for a moment. "So you didn't want an update on my Death-search?"

She shrugged. "Sure, if you have something to share. But that was not the intention of me contacting you, no. I figured you would let us know when you had news." He didn't really know what to say to that, so when he didn't answer, she continued. "Do you honestly think I have to have a reason to contact you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "That is how it usually works, yes."

She gave him a small smile. "You should count me out of the category of 'usually', then. I was thinking about you, so I texted you. You showed up, and now we are having tea. Sounds like a normal thing for friends to do, don't you think?"

Friends? He was her friend? "I am your _friend_?" As the words left his mouth, he wanted to cringe. This woman made him completely foolish.

She looked at him with uncertain eyes. "Um, yes? Should I not see you as my friend? What should I see you as?"

He stared at her until he noticed she was fidgeting. "No, I don't mean it like that. But don't you find it ridiculous to consider The King of Hell as your _friend? _ I don't really have _friends, _love."

She smiled at him. "Well, everyone needs at least _one, _ so may I be your friend then?"

He chuckled. "You may, sweetheart." She grinned at him, and he shook his head before smiling. "So what now? We start whispering secrets and wear the same clothes?"

He was delighted when she threw her head back and laughed. "Yes, Crowley. That is _exactly _what happens now. But you are going to need a new wardrobe, because I am not wearing suits every day. Oh, and we need to develop a language that really only you and I can make sense of. And inside jokes. We need inside jokes."

He grinned at her. "I'll start knitting you a friendship bracelet."

-o-

**Jenny**

Jenny suddenly remembered something and looked at her new friend with serious eyes. "Crowley?"

He saw her sudden change of mood, and gave her a slightly confused look. "What now, love?"

She sighed. "Dean and Sam, are they working for you right now? With false hope of you getting Sam's soul back?"

He looked away for a moment. "Yes." She was about to speak, but he continued. "But I am _helping_ them getting his soul back by locating Death, am I not?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Out with it, whatever it is you are about to lecture me on."

She actually had to giggle. Shaking her head, she looked at him more seriously. "Will you stop the charade?"

The look he gave her was so intense that she wondered if she had gone too far, but in the end he sighed. "I will." The next moment he got up from the chair and turned away from her. "Why?" He turned to face her again. _"__Why_ do I listen to you? I am The King of Hell for goodness sake! I do not have to listen to anyone!"

She blinked at him. "Um, I don't know? Because even The King of Hell gets tired of the constant scheming? Because it's nice to just let your guard down once in a while? Because I'm not threatening or deceiving you? I don't know, Crowley, honestly. I don't mean to upset you." She paused for a moment before speaking with a soft voice. "Because you are sick and tired of demons." Jenny closed her eyes to try to remember the exact phrase. "Because demons are evil, lying prats the whole lot of them. And _stupid._ Try to show them a new way, a better way, and what do you get? Bugger all. You know, there are days that I think that Lucifer's whole spike anything with black eyes plan wasn't half bad."

-o-

**Crowley**

He stared at her. She had just quoted him word by word. He was a bit impressed, to be honest. He also realised she was right. He _was_ sick and tired. Sighing, he sat down in the chair again. "You have a point, love." He smirked at her. "Do you remember every word we have said?"

To his surprise, she actually blushed. "Uh, well, no, not really. I can quote _a lot_ from the show, but the quotes that I know by heart are mostly yours."

His smirk widened. "And why is that, pray?"

She looked away a moment before turning back and rolling her eyes. "You will never let me forget this, will you? You were my favourite character, alright? Whenever I started watching the show over again, I would always start on season five, because that's where you came in."

She was completely right. He would most certainly never let her forget this. He smugly brushed a speck of invisible dust off his sleeve and grinned wickedly at her. "I know. I am irresistible. Alright, quote me, then."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not happening. Maybe after I have practiced my British accent."

-o-

Later that night, Crowley sat in his office contemplating. What would his life be like if things were different? Could he _make_ it different? Could he, if he played his cards right, have a significant other and still retain his position as King of Hell? Although, why the hell was he even thinking about this? An image of Jenny popped up in his mind and he sighed heavily and put his head in his hands.

It was because of her, wasn't it? She was changing everything. She was changing _him._ He had to stop this. He had to stop visiting her, stop taking her places, and stop this _friendship_ that he had gotten himself into.

He had to stop. And the thought filled him with dread.


	13. FEELINGS!

_Do i have to write this every time? Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_-o-_

**Jenny**

Several days passed, and Jenny woke up on the first Sunday of advent with mixed feelings. She had not heard from Crowley since his last visit although she had texted him several times. She was starting to suspect that she had overstepped some boundaries in their last conversation, and that he was withdrawing from her.

The thought of losing him made her chest ache and she had trouble breathing.

With a heavy heart, she went in search of Nikki.

-o-

She was snuggled up in one of Nikki's armchairs with a blanket and a cup of tea a little while later. Nikki gave her a soft smile. "What's wrong?"

Jenny put her cup on the table and sighed. "I'm so utterly screwed. I'm in love with Crowley." The lack of surprise on her friend's face confused her for a moment before she rolled her eyes. "And this is of course not news to you."

Nikki laughed softly. "Not really, no. I have suspected it for a long time. Lately I have been pretty damn sure. The way you look at him, and smile at him is a dead giveaway. I'm pretty sure he feels something for you as well."

Jenny looked at her with surprise. "How so?"

Nikki thought for a moment before answering. "The way he acts around you reminds me of how he was in season nine. When he had humanity, you know? And as the time has passed, he has been more and more like that. You know, _feelings!" _

Jenny giggled. _"FEELINGS!" _She shook her head before continuing. "He won't answer my texts. I think I screwed up when I asked him to stop deceiving Sam and Dean. I think I overstepped. Although, what am I even _thinking? _I can't be in love with him! He is The King of Hell for Christ sake! Torture apron! This is so messed up!"

Nikki was silent for a bit, looking like she was trying to figure out what to say. "What if he can change? What if you actually _do _bring out the humanity in him? And you are not naïve, Jenny, you are well aware of whom he is, and still you're in love with him."

Jenny gave her friend a confused smile. "Why are you so supportive? It is, after all, clear as day that being in love with The King of Hell is a horrible idea."

Nikki laughed. "Yeah, well, it is. But it's just something about the way you act around each other, like it just feels _right. _I don't know why, it just does. The two of you seemed like two pieces of a puzzle from day one, to be honest."

"What am I going to do?"

Nikki sipped her coffee before looking at her. "Well, as I see it, you have two choices, more or less. One; you get out now. Start working on falling _out _ of love with him, which is of course heartbreakingly difficult, but in the end it will happen. Two; you give it a chance. You're not stupid. You will go into it with your eyes open and well aware of the risk of ending up with a broken heart." Nikki smiled. "A broken heart is a natural grieving process, and will pass after one and a half to two years."

Jenny laughed. "Ah, yes. My mum used to say that. Wise words to hold on to."

Nikki nodded with a smile. "Indeed. But you know, some part of me honestly thinks Crowley can change. It seems he is already changing, without even being really aware of it. But maybe he has discovered it, and that would make sense, seeing how he is withdrawing from you now."

Jenny gave her friend a warm smile. "You know I love you, right? I have been completely freaking out over this, and in five minutes you have narrowed it down to two quite basic choices. I have to admit I was afraid you would judge. It would, after all, be the logical thing to do. And that would make me freak out even more."

"I wouldn't judge you. It's not really like we choose who we fall in love with, it just happens. And sometimes it sucks."

-o-

Jenny's heart was a great deal lighter when she headed for her room a while later. As she approached her door, a familiar feeling filled her. He was there, in her room! Crowley was here! Her heart went into heart-attack mode again as she hurried towards her door. She paused for a second in front of her door, taking a deep breath. Then she opened and stepped inside.

He was sitting in her armchair. But the look on his face made her pause for a moment. The heavy-hearted feeling returned as she realised his shields were once again fully operational. His expression was closed off, and his eyes were completely lacking the spark she had seen more often lately.

Before she could think, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Please don't. Don't do this."

He frowned in confusion at her. "Do what, exactly? I am just sitting here, as far as I know."

She shook her head. "Don't shut me out. I'm sorry if I overstepped last time you were here. It was not my intention to catch you off-guard or anything."

Numerous emotions flickered across Crowley's expression before his face hardened again. So, there was some hope at least. He had not _completely_ shut down. Although, that was hard to believe when she heard the almost emotionless tone in his voice. "I have no idea what you are referring to, sweetheart." He rose from the chair and stepped closer to her, handing her a piece of paper. "Here. The location of Death. Squirrel will have to leave today if he wants to catch him."

Jenny's heart gave a painful twinge as she took the paper he handed her. Her voice was almost a whisper when she spoke. "Crowley.."

He looked at her for a long moment, and for a moment, his eyes turned soft. But then the stony expression returned. "Deliver this for me, will you, sweetheart? I have places to be and Hell to rule."

Before she could grab his coat, he was gone. Jenny growled in frustration.


	14. The Height of Fashion

_I own nothing, and I love you all!_

_-o-_

**Dean**

He entered Bobby's house feeling almost broken. He had fucked things up so badly with that little girl. But he just couldn't do it. Couldn't kill her. And then he had made everything worse.

But Sam would get his soul back. A shrivelled, broken, crushed soul that could destroy his mind completely. Dean didn't see any other option than to try to avoid that at all costs. They just had to make it work in some way or another.

He heard noises from the kitchen as entered the living room. _No, please, _he thought. _I can't deal with anyone right now._

But then she was standing there in the doorway with soft eyes and a soft voice. "I know. I'm sorry, Dean." In the next moment she was there, hugging him, and he couldn't help himself from leaning in to her embrace.

He had no idea how long he stayed that way, just holding on to her as she murmured soft words to him. And it was exactly what he needed after a day where he had been forced to kill a little girl, and learning that his brother would most likely end up as a fruitcake.

He realised, that at some point, Nikki had gotten under his skin with her Mountain Dew, Sam's old AC/DC t-shirt that was way too big for her, somewhat bossy attitude and snappy remarks.

Yeah, she had definitely gotten under his skin, and Dean was baffled to realise that he was surprisingly okay with her being there. The realisation, however, scared the crap out of him.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Nikki spoke. "I think we need a beer."

Dean couldn't agree more.

-o-

About two hours later, Dean was starting to feel more like himself again, and especially because he was currently beating Nikki in Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit. And Nikki did not approve, which she was quite loud about. "Oh COME ON! This car has a flat tire, I _swear! And_ the pop-off is broken! It was probably pre-owned by an old man that only drove the car at turtle-speed, making the car slowly fall into depression. You see? It's completely depressed!"

Dean glanced at her in surprise from the bits of car-knowledge she had just displayed before he grinned. "Suuuuuure, it's the _car._ Totally."

Nikki made a frustrated sound just as Dean crossed the finish line and he chuckled at her. "Aw, don't be so upset, babe." Her grinned wickedly at her before continuing. "It's just a _game,_ you know."

Her head spun around so fast that he almost recoiled. "You better wipe that smug smile off your face pretty fast, or so God help me, I will _hurt_ you."

Teasing Nikki was quickly becoming one of his favourite hobbies, so the smug smile stayed. "You know what you should do? You should turn that frown, upside down."

Nikki actually growled as she went in for the kill and launched herself at him, making PlayStation controllers and pillows fly. She was no match for him, though, and he caught her, pinning her arms down her sides as she worked eagerly on her flopping fish-imitation.

She kept up the struggle for an impressive amount of minutes, but in the end she gave another frustrated sound and went still.

Dean couldn't make himself let go. He had a moment of complete serenity with her lying on top of him with her head on his chest. It was like having her so close put the broken pieces inside him back together.

Restraining her was maybe not the most elegant move, though. But then, she saved him. With one sentence. "I bet I can beat you like this."

So they stayed that way. Nikki picked up the discarded controllers before returning to him with a nervous smile. He smirked at her and opened his arms in invitation. "You're on. Loser is a rotten egg, _and_ bakes apple cake."

She narrowed her eyes at him before joining him again.

Who knew, that serenity was a PlayStation game while holding the controller on a woman's hip. A highly entertaining, frustrated woman, with sharp elbows that she did not hesitate to use, and long hair that had an uncanny way of disrupting his view.

And the icing on the cake, no pun intended, was that tomorrow, he would be eating apple cake.

-o-

**Jenny**

Sam was no longer soulless. And had no memory of the time as soulless. They had spent quite a while explaining who the hell they were and what they were doing there. _Living _there, none the less. But seeing how Sam was the less paranoid one, he had accepted the current situation as strange, but alright.

Something had changed between Nikki and Dean. They were still bickering, of course, but the bickering had changed somehow, and the genuine warmth between them was audible underneath the teasing and discussing. It was like they were touching more as well, like the bar had been lowered between them. Dean, as a well-known fan of personal space, did not seem to mind having Nikki invading his territory. And neither did Nikki when Dean came to sit down next to her in the couch, or stand next to her at the kitchen counter.

The two of them had actually had a flour-fight the other day when Nikki was trying to bake an apple cake, ending up in both of them looking like old albinos.

The whole thing was utterly cute. She wondered when they would realise that they were both probably quite smitten with each other.

Then there was The Bloody King of Hell. God-damned-friggin-stuck-up-overpowered-defense-mechanism-Crowley.

Jenny was frustrated from the complete lack of success in contacting him. She was getting to a point where she was genuinely _worried._ The target on Crowley's back was not small, after all. She gave an utterly sad sigh and picked up her phone to send him yet another text.

-o-

**Crowley**

He was quite certain that he was going insane. She kept texting him, and it made him unable to keep his thoughts away from her. He was so close to caving. On a daily basis. And the way she had looked at him when he went to her to deliver the paper with Death's location.. It had been heart-breaking.

She had nailed it, though. She had immediately realised what was going on the second she entered the room and saw his face. He found it uncanny. The whole thing was uncanny. The whole thing was rubbish. Complete rubbish.

He was The Friggin King of Hell. This was below him.

But, bugger all, he missed her.

Bollocks. _Bollocks._

He almost jumped when his phone vibrated. Her. Again. Why had he not just blocked her yet? Because he couldn't make himself do it, that's why. _Rubbish._

With a heavy sigh, he unlocked his phone to read the text.

**_Crowley, please tell me just one thing, if nothing else. Are you alright? Are you alive? My train of thought has gone completely Monster-Truck on me, and I worry about you. I am going slightly insane, actually. So please.. Just let me know in one way or another._**

Crowley growled in frustration as he held the phone an inch from his face. "BLOODY HELL, WOMAN! You are making me yell at my phone! You drive me _insane!_ Who, in the name of _Hades,_ **_worries_** about The _King of Hell?_ I can't.. Oh, whatever. _Fuck this!"_

-o-

**Jenny**

She was pacing restlessly around her room with her phone in her hand, and she was pretty damned sure that she was going legitimately insane.

She didn't even have time to sense his presence before he was behind her, pulling her into his arms. Jenny sagged in relief, leaning back with her eyes closed.

Wait, what? Her feet were friggin cold! Opening her eyes, she realised why. She was standing in the middle of a beautiful, Christmas-decorated street. He had not yet let go of her, and she just leaned back again. "Crowley? You have _no _ idea how happy I am that you are here, but I have no shoes, and there is snow and ice on the ground."

She could hear him chuckle in her ear, and in the next moment she was lifted bridal-style into the air. "Well, then, love. Let's acquire some for you then, shall we?"

Crowley was back. _Her_ Crowley was back. She wanted to cry. _Let's not do that, though, _she thought. She put her arms around his neck instead, and gave him a warm smile. "Why? What? What changed?"

He gave her a dark look, but she could see the glitter of amusement when he rolled his eyes. "Well, _someone_ just wouldn't stop _pestering _me."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And that meant you had to come kidnap me?"

Crowley sighed, and his voice had a dark edge to it when he spoke. "Don't push it, love." He paused for a moment, and his voice was soft when he continued. "I couldn't convince myself to stay away any longer, now could I?"

His answer was more than she had ever hoped for, and she had no need to push the subject any further. Those words told her just about everything she needed to know. Although he had not answered her, he had read her texts, and needed to _convince_ himself to stay away.

She was about to say something, but he silenced her with a sharp look. "And that, dearest, is the last we will speak of this. Now, let's see about those shoes, shall we?" He looked her over. "And perhaps a coat? I hear Paris is the height of fashion."

Jenny just smiled at him before leaning her head on his shoulder.

-o-

It ended up with her getting a whole new outfit, seeing how she had been wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. She was now feeling quite fancy, with dark grey jeans, a black top in silk with a glittery skull on it, black leather ankle boots, and an insanely expensive frock coat that she decided was the love of her life. She smiled nervously at Crowley. "I will pay you back for this."

He rolled his eyes. "And that will most certainly not be happening."

Jenny decided to pick her battles and let this one go. For now. So she linked her arm in Crowley's and gave him a beaming smile. "Not that I am complaining, but what exactly is it we are doing here?"

He smiled softly at her. "Whatever you wish, love."

"Can we look at the Christmas lights and decorations?"

-o-

**Crowley**

She was not the demanding sort, honestly. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was the solemn cause for her arriving in Paris-winter land wearing a t-shirt, but still he had to almost threaten her, just to get her to accept the clothes. And when she got to choose whatever she wanted to do in Paris? Look at the Christmas decorations. She wanted to look at the Christmas decorations. Although, seeing her awestruck expression, and the light in her eyes from something as simple as a brightly decorated Christmas tree, who was he to judge.

He inwardly sighed from the fact that he was here with her. And from the fact that he was so bloody _delighted _for it. He knew, he _knew_ that this was the wrong thing to do. It was all wrong. And he was delighted.

"Oh! Look!"

She was shaking his arm and pointing, and he turned his eyes to what she was pointing at. _Marvellous,_ he thought. _The King of Hell will probably be going ice-skating._

He was indeed correct. A few minutes later he was The Friggin Ice-skating King of Hell.

Jenny gave him a beaming smile and clapped her hands as they entered the public ice-skating rink. "Oh my god, it's been ages since I have done this. Let's see if I still remember it."

Crowley was extremely thankful that this was one of the things he had been good at once upon a time. And that he still remembered how to skate. So did Jenny. She was actually quite impressive, and he stopped to watch her as she raced away from him. She did a big turn and headed his way again, and right before she reached him she spun around in a pirouette, coming to a dead stop right in front of him, making the ice fly around her. He smirked at her. "Consider me impressed."

She giggled. "I'm generally complete rubbish at sports, but ice-skating, inline skating and swimming is not too bad."

They spent almost an hour on the ice-skating rink. Jenny fell flat on her arse twice, causing fits of laughter and him having to help her up.

-o-

They were back in the Christmas decorated streets again, and it was getting dark. He looked at her. "Are you afraid of heights, love?"

She considered it for a moment. "Not really, no. As long as there is no immediate risk of falling horribly to my death, I don't mind."

He gave her an amused smile before pulling her close to him. "Close your eyes, my dear." He almost shook his head when she instantly closed her eyes. This trust she had in him was almost uncomfortable. Turning her around so she had her back towards him, he focused for a moment. The view changed, and, instead of letting go of her, he pulled her closer to him and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Alright, you can open them."

She was silent for a moment, and he was about to say something, but then he heard her voice, barely a whisper. "Oh my god."

"It's quite a sight, is it not?"

"It's..it's incredible."

Crowley had to agree. Seeing Paris at night from the Eiffel Tower was quite frankly incredible. And with the Christmas lights basically everywhere, the sight was amazing. "You wanted to see the Christmas lights, love. I figured this was an excellent way of doing it."

She didn't answer him, but took his hands, pulling him even closer to her before entangling her fingers in his.

-o-

After a long while, she spoke in a soft voice. "How long have we been standing here?"

He kissed the side of her head as he thought about it. "I have no idea, love."

She laughed softly. "I cannot feel my toes. I haven't even noticed."

Crowley chuckled. "Ah, silly humans and their frail bodies."

She turned her head and gave him a sharp look. "Insufferable demon."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Watch your words, frail mortal, the ground is quite a distance away." She just turned away from him, but then he felt a small twinge of pain on his hand. The insufferable woman had just _pinched_ him. "Stop pinching The King of Hell, dearest."

She giggled. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see it. "Try without the sarcasm, and we might have a good thing going here."

"Indeed. Next on the list is to achieve the perfect curtsy."

"I am looking forward to it, love." Remembering her comment regarding her toes, he sighed. "I believe it's time to leave. It is still night in the States." When she gave a disapproving sound, he smiled. "Humans still need sleep as far as my knowledge goes. And warm toes. Close your eyes, sweetheart." The next moment they were standing in her room, and Crowley almost sighed when he let her go.

She turned around to face him with a warm smile. "Thank you." Before he could answer her, she was hugging him, and he felt her place a kiss on his cheek as she let go. "I mean it. Thank you. Today was wonderful."

He took her hand and gently turned it around before lifting it to place a kiss in her palm. "Today was lovely. Sweet dreams, love."

The King of Hell left before he could do anything he would regret.


	15. The Altruistic King of Hell

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise. But, oh, I wish I did. *Sighs*_

_-o-_

**Sam**

He was wondering what was causing all the noise outside. Stepping outside the porch to find the source did nothing to help, and he just stood there, watching the woman run around in circles while yelling and laughing. _Riiiiight, _ he thought. But suddenly it was like she was knocked down by some invisible force. And to his disbelief, she laughed hysterically while fighting empty air.

"Stop it! Lucy! You're a drooling menace!" Jenny turned her head to the side, and discovered Sam standing there with an expression of complete confusion. Her expression turned serious. "Lucy, get off." He watched her stop fighting and get up from the ground. Brushing off snow, she headed towards him. "Uh, hey Sam. I realise we might have forgotten to mention something. We have a friendly neighbourhood watch, consisting of three Hellhounds. Here."

Sam just stared at her. _"What?"_

She sighed. "Long story. Take the glasses and I'll show you."

He hesitantly took the glasses she was holding out to him and put them on. And what he saw made all his instincts go into overdrive.

Jenny looked worriedly at him. "Please, just look." She turned to look at the beasts. "I'm going to show him you are alright, okay? Just be nice." Looking back at him, she said with a calm voice. "Lucy, sit."

Sam stared with shock at the Hellhound that instantly sat down from Jenny's command. But the show was seemingly not over, as Jenny continued. "Growley, Juliet, go sit next to Lucy." They did. "Growley, Juliet, Lie down. Lucy, stand." The Hellhounds immediately complied, and Jenny gave Sam a small smile. "Lucy is the alpha. Want to meet her? From a distance?"

Sam blinked at her. "Uh sure? I guess?"

Jenny looked over her shoulder. "Lucy, come here, girl. No running, though." The Hellhound padded over to them and nudged Jenny's hand and Sam watched with a new level of disbelief when she crouched down and scratched the beast's ears. "This is Sam, Lucy. He doesn't remember you, and does not know what a nice Hellhound you are."

Sam watched as the hound turned her head to look at him. He didn't really know what to expect, but a delighted yap was definitely not high on the list. It wasn't on the list at all, when he thought about it.

Jenny smiled at him. "You want to pet her? I _swear _ she is the sweetest thing. And before you ask, yes, I am aware of how _completely _ridiculous that sounds."

-o-

A little while later, Sam was sitting on the front porch with the most surreal feeling, ever. He was petting a friggin _Hellhound. _And said Hellhound was comfortably resting her huge head on his knee, seemingly very content with the situation.

He noticed a change in Jenny all of a sudden, as she snapped her head up like she was hearing something. "What?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow at him before bending down towards Lucy, leaning in to _whisper_ in the Hellhound's ear. He could just hear what she was saying. "You feel him as well, right, girl? Can you go get him for me?"

The beast gave a small yap, and instantly vanished. A few moments later he could hear a frustrated British accent from around the corner of the house. "Lucy! Stop that! You disobeying dog! I am The King of Hell, you..you _traitor_ !"

Sam looked at Jenny with his mouth half open. _"__Crowley?"_

Jenny smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "In the flesh."

Sam turned his head just as the demon appeared, dragged along by an eager Hellhound. "Friggin traitorous beast! This is my good coat! Let go!"

Jenny smiled and said with a soft voice. "It's alright. You may let him go now. Good girl."

Sam braced himself for Crowley's reaction, ready to defend himself and his new housemate if needed. And he was quite certain it would be needed.

Crowley walked towards them with murder in his eyes. Murderous eyes that was completely focused on Jenny. Jenny, however, seemed totally at ease with the situation, still with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face. Crowley stopped right in front of Jenny with narrow eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Jenny actually _rolled her eyes_ at the demon. "Well, what did you expect, lurking like that?"

Crowley made a frustrated sound. "I was not _lurking,_ you infuriating woman!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Then what, pray, _were_ you doing?"

The world was going crazy. Sam was sure of it. Or perhaps he was hallucinating. Because it couldn't be real what he was seeing, it could just not be real that Crowley's expression turned from furious to smiling wickedly at Jenny. "I was preparing."

Sam was about to launch himself at Crowley when the demon made a sudden movement and grabbed Jenny's coat with one arm and lifted the other arm like he was about to stab her. But his weapon of choice was not what Sam expected.

Jenny screamed when The King of Hell forced a fistful of snow down her sweater. "Crowley! You BASTARD! Oh God! Friggin COLD!

Crowley stepped back with a smug smile and crossed his arms over his chest again. "Don't even try to tell me you did not deserve that, love." The demon turned his head towards Sam. "Hello, moose. Good to have you back. Soulless you were dreadfully boring."

Sam gaped at Crowley for a moment before getting up. "Yeah, I'm done. I am _so_ done."

-o-

**Jenny**

She barely registered Sam going back into the house, seeing how she had ice-water running down her chest and belly. "Nope! Nope, nope, nope! I need to change!"

She started to head for the front door, but was stopped by a hand grabbing on to her coat. Crowley spun her around and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come now, it's just a bit of snow." Jenny struggled to get out of his grasp, but to no avail. She was about to yell at him when he placed his hand on the upper part of her belly. She looked at him with confusion for a moment, but then the cold feeling was gone, leaving her much warmer than before. Her eyes widened in shock, and he grinned at her. "I'm The King of Hell, sweetheart. You would think I had an affinity with heat, no?"

She had to laugh. "That would make sense, yes. Show-off. So, are you here just to cram snow down my sweater?"

He gave her a half-smile. "Although I would consider that to be a perfectly good reason, no. I am not sure if you lot have noticed, but there is an apocalypse in the making as we speak. And I find that I would rather avoid the whole ordeal. So I am here with bits and pieces of information that came through the grapevine."

Jenny gave him a bemused smile. "How very altruistic of you."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Sweetheart, I hate to say it, but I would place my bet on the bloody Winchesters any day of the week. Not that I will ever tell them. They have an absurd ability of making it through these things. And well, if I am to abandon my plan of expanding my kingdom I would rather things stay as they are. At the moment, I find myself..content."

The way he looked at her when he said the last sentence made her heart go gaga once again. Collecting herself, she gave him a smile. "Very well. Everyone is inside."

-o-

**Nikki**

Jenny entered the house with such a happy expression that Nikki had to look at her twice. But then The King of Hell entered behind her and Nikki had to cover the smile on her face. Her friend turned to the demon and said something, and Nikki noticed the warm smile he gave her as he nodded. God, she hoped the two of them made it work somehow. She hoped she was right about Crowley.

Jenny turned to Nikki again. "Where's everyone?"

Nikki put down the book she was reading and got up from the couch. "In Bobby's office, I believe. What's up?"

Jenny smirked. "The Altruistic King of Hell is here to help us."

Nikki could see the alleged altruist in question narrow his eyes, but Jenny turned to him before he could say anything. "Or in other words, he is here because helping us fits his agenda right at this point."

Crowley raised an eyebrow at Jenny. "I am so glad to have a public speaker." Rolling his eyes, he continued. "But yes, what she said. The second thing."

Jenny smiled playfully at him before turning to Nikki. "Meet in Bobby's office in five minutes? I'm going to make a cup of tea and I really need to get rid of some clothes."

Nikki's eyes instantly went to Crowley just in time to see a playful smile broaden on his face. He leaned in and whispered something in Jenny's ear, and Nikki couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped her when she saw the instant change of colour on Jenny's face. "No, I do not need any help with that, thank you very much. You stay _here._ Or anywhere that is not my room. I will go upstairs and change."

-o-

They were all gathered in Bobby's office a few minutes later, and Crowley rolled his eyes from the sceptical expressions he received. "Yes, yes. I am not your favourite person. I cannot be trusted, blah blah. Now get over yourselves. There is an Archangel that needs killing, preferably sooner than later." Crowley pulled out some pieces of paper from his jacket. "Seeing how plan A failed before being executed, do you have a plan B?" When no one answered, he continued with a smug smile. "See? What would you have done without me? As we know, Archangels aren't exactly the easiest prey, and not many things can kill them. There are, however a few things. Death's Scythe being one. But since Dean kindly returned that to Death, I would call that plan S, for Suicidal." Crowley put the papers on Bobby's desk before continuing. "So that basically leaves an Archangel Blade. That would be the easiest to acquire, at least."

Sam spoke up. "But there are only two in existence, Raphael's and Gabriel's. And Gabriel is dead."

Jenny looked at Nikki with eyebrows raised in question, and Nikki nodded with a shrug.

Jenny raised a finger in the air like she would in school before quickly withdrawing it. "Actually, he is alive. But you will not know for years." She rolled her eyes. "This friggin timeline-thing is confusing as hell. _Originally,_ you will not know for years."

Crowley looked at her. "Interesting. However, there is one more Archangel Blade. Anyone remember Michael? The first Archangel God created? Surely he had a Blade of his own. And seeing how he is chummy with Lucifer in the cage as we speak, he isn't really using it at the moment."

Dean did not look convinced. "And how the hell are we supposed to get our hands on this Blade? Do you know where it is?"

Crowley sighed. "Ah, squirrel. Always the sceptic."

Dean gave Crowley an annoyed look. "Yeah, strange, seeing how you spend every chance you get _screwing_ us over."

Crowley looked at Dean with a stony expression. "Look. I am well aware that you do not trust me, but quite frankly, I don't care. What I _do_ care about, however, is saving my own skin. I have no desire for another apocalypse. Take a moment to contemplate the facts, will you?" He pointed at the papers lying on Bobby's desk. "Those papers contain whatever information I could find on the Archangel Blade. I started hearing rumours of it a while ago, but didn't really believe it to be the actual Blade until yesterday. It exists. It is real. We just need to find it."


	16. It's Too Branchy!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. Sadly._

_-o-_

**Dean**

Could they trust the information Crowley gave them? Dean didn't know. It was the best lead in a long while, though. And Crowley seemed surprisingly genuine. It was like something had changed with The King of Hell after the girls arrived.

The information seemed legit, though. And Dean could not find any reason for Crowley to wish for an apocalypse. He just had to hope that The King of Hell wasn't screwing them over this time.

-o-

Dean entered the house to the sound of cheerful humming coming from the living room. Entering said room he didn't see anyone at first, until he turned his head to the corner where Nikki was standing on a chair. Dean completely ignored his heart skipping a beat. "Hey, what's up?"

Nikki turned to look at him with a smile. "Christmas. Christmas is up. Or it's going to be, at least, after we have finished decorating."

"Christmas, huh?" He realised that there was eight days until Christmas Eve. Looking around the room, he could most definitely see the decoration progressing. There were little Santa's everywhere, shiny baubles and red tablecloths.

Nikki jumped down from the chair. "It's about time you have a proper Christmas, don't you think? And even if you don't, it will happen anyway. Jenny and I _love _Christmas. It's essential. Jenny is getting a Christmas tree as we speak."

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Alone?"

She giggled. "Uh, no. Crowley is with her."

Dean had to laugh as well. "Seriously? You got to be kidding me. She brought _The King of Hell _to buy a Christmas tree?"

Nikki giggled even more. "Actually, they are chopping it down themselves."

"No friggin way."

"Yes friggin way."

Dean gave a disbelieving laugh. "Actually, that's sort of amazing. I can't believe it." His expression turned more serious as he looked at Nikki. "Do you think it's real? The way he is acting?"

Nikki looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I do. In season nine of Supernatural he, to his deep frustration, had his humanity, because.. Well, because reasons. But it made him completely different. He had actual feelings, like compassion and remorse, did things for others without gain for himself. Of course, he was still Crowley, and Crowley will never be any Mother Theresa. But he was very different. And the way he acts these days reminds me of how he was then. It's like Jenny brings out some humanity in him." She looked at him. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to repeat it? Keep it to yourself?" Dean nodded and she sighed. "As a human, the only thing Crowley wanted was to be loved. From the core of his being, he just wanted to be loved. His time in Hell changed him, and turning into a demon twisted the urge to be loved, and turned it into a desire for power and respect. But the return of his humanity also returns his wish for love. So if what I think is happening is indeed happening, Crowley will genuinely change. I can even quote the man himself. He was, and it's a long story why, talking about a character named Hannah from a TV-show and it derailed into an unexpected and quite desperate speech from him."

Nikki cleared her throat and concentrated. "And Hannah, she just- she _needs _to be loved. She deserves it. Don't we all? You, me? We deserve to be loved. I _deserve _to be _loved! _I just want to be loved..."

Dean looked at Nikki with wide eyes, not believing his ears. "And this is _Crowley_ we are talking about?"

Nikki nodded. "It's the exact quote from the man. So if Jenny does indeed bring out the humanity in him.. Well, he will become increasingly human. Of course, this could just be another of his hidden agendas, but it doesn't seem like it. According to Jenny, he has not once asked her anything about the future, or tried to trick her in any way. I considered if this was a way to lure her into a false sense of security, but if it is he is putting strange amounts of time and effort into it. Not to forget taking her to Paris twice, Disneyland, going ice-skating, and giving us the credit cards. Which he spent almost an hour convincing Jenny to accept, by the way. Does seem a bit extensive, don't you think? And right in this moment, he is in a forest somewhere in the world to find and _chop_ down, let me quote Jenny; the _perfect_ Christmas tree."

Dean nodded. "And Sam's soul. Although he tricked us at first. But then, after the two of you arrived, he ended up helping us without any real gain for himself." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you know he _apologised_ for tricking us? If the way he is acting is all a sham he is taking things a bit too far. And I can't believe he hasn't killed Jenny from the whole Hellhound-thing." Dean shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know, Nikki. I hope you're right. It almost seems that way. Let's not be idiots about it, though."

Nikki giggled. "Yeah. We aren't, though. Lucky for us, Jenny is not naïve. Forgiving, yes, but not at all naïve. Although a genuine optimist, she is the most down-to-earth realist I know. And she knows _very_ well who Crowley is."

-o-

Dean had been around the whole friggin town. At least that's what it felt like. Christmas presents were really not his strong side. _Really _not his strong side. He had ages on Nikki's present, but in the end he was somewhat pleased with what he had bought.

Getting out of the impala, he noticed something on the huge field next to Bobby's junk yard. A car. He even recognised the car as one of the barely-running wreckages from the yard. And the car was doing crazy-loops around the field.

As he stood there watching, he got more and more impressed by the skills of the driver. The car was almost dancing out there, drifting in big half-circles and doing pirouettes. He wondered who was driving. Sam? No. Definitely not Sam. His brother did most definitely not have the level of control that this driver was displaying.

He had been standing there for at least fifteen minutes when the driver seemingly spotted him as the car headed in his direction. As the car came closer Dean tried to recognise the driver, but saw nothing but a helmet.

The car parked next to the house, and he could hear muffled music from the inside. AC/DC with Thunderstruck. Now Dean was beyond curious. The music stopped and a person wearing blue overalls and a helmet stepped out from the car and removed the helmet.

Dean had one of those slow-motion movie-moments as the driver removed the helmet and held it against her hip before shaking back her hair, shampoo commercial-style. Nikki. _Nikki_ was the driver. Dean's jaw dropped and he just stared at her in awe.

She placed the helmet on the roof of the car and smiled at him. "Hey! Successful shopping?" When he just kept staring at her, she frowned in confusion. "What? Something wrong?"

He blinked at her. _"__Where_ did you learn to drive like that?"

She visibly blushed and gave him an embarrassed look. "Uh, nowhere in particular. I've just picked it up over the years. Jenny and I do this whenever we are able. It's so much fun."

Dean gaped at her. "That is the coolest thing I've seen in my life. That was..awesome!"

-o-

Later that evening Dean could suddenly hear a lot of banging noises coming from outside of the house. The front door opened and Jenny stepped in, red cheeked from the cold. The cause of the banging noises became clear when Dean walked closer and saw a huge Christmas tree blocking the door. Behind it he could hear a grumbling King of Hell. "Bloody Christmas tree. Remind me again why I am doing this?"

Jenny giggled. "Because you like me so much, and I need a tree?"

None of them had noticed him yet, and Dean stepped back where they couldn't see him before putting his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

The King of Hell was not pleased as he continued. "Nobody _needs_ a tree, you insufferable woman. And even if they do, they do not spend _hours_ in the woods just to stare at hundreds of trees. They just pick one." He continued in a mocking voice, obviously imitating Jenny. "No, see there? That branch is ugly. I don't like this tree. It's too thin. It's too tall. It's too wide. It's too small. It's too _branchy._ The tree was not too branchy, love. I don't even know what defines a tree as 'too branchy'."

Jenny snorted a laugh. "Well, they _were_ too thin, tall, wide or small! And it _was_ too branchy! It just didn't feel right."

Crowley gave a disbelieving sound. "How, in the name of _Hades,_ does a _tree_ not _feel_ right?"

Dean pressed his hand tighter over his mouth. This was hilarious. And unbelievable. Crowley was not acting like himself at all. Or, he was still obviously _Crowley_, with the sarcasm and snarky comments, but the things he _did _were way off. Dean decided to start observing the demon more closely from now on.

Jenny giggled. "It just didn't. Alright, can you please carry it into the living room?"

Crowley's voice was more high-pitched than Dean had ever heard when he answered. _"What?! _You expect me to _carry _the ruddy thing as well?! Not only do I have to _chop _down a tree, zap the bloody thing _and _you to friggin Bobby Singer's house, I am expected to _carry _it?"

Jenny giggled again. "According to Supernatural Wikipedia, you are able to bench press at least two tons. I am pretty sure you can carry a tree a few meters."

Damn. He could bench press _two tons? _Dean had to admit he was a bit impressed. He had to press his hand over his mouth again when he heard The King of Hell answer in the whiniest voice he had ever heard. "But it has _pins._ And this is my good coat!"

Dean decided to announce his presence as Crowley carried the tree into the living room. "Embracing your Christmas spirit, Crowley?"

Crowley placed the tree on the floor with a loud bang and held on to it with one hand before pointing at Dean and speaking in a hissing voice. "Do _not_ push me, squirrel, or I _swear_ it will be the _last_ thing you do."

The next thing that happened made Dean grow even more resolute that he would observe Crowley more closely. Jenny came to stand next to the demon with a smile, and when Crowley turned to look at her, his furious expression vanished. The King of Hell looked at Jenny with soft eyes, and the smile he gave her back was filled with warmth.

If Crowley was pretending, he was doing an insanely good job of it. Dean was almost starting to think Nikki was right.

The King of Hell was regaining his humanity.


	17. It's a Christmas Tree Miracle

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. _

_Of course I had to write the actual finding of the wonderful Christmas tree! So, on with the story, yeah? _

_-o- _

**Jenny**

She was standing in the living room with her arms crossed over her chest when he appeared next to her. "Why the frown, love? And what exactly are we looking at?"

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "There is a serious error here."

He raised an eyebrow as well. "That sounds dire. Would you care to elaborate?"

Jenny pointed at the empty space in front of her. "There is a serious lack of pine trees in this house, especially right in this spot."

Crowley's eyes lit up in understanding. "Ah. Happens a lot around this time of year. Odd tradition, wouldn't you agree? First, you amputate the tree, removing any chance for it to live again. You proceed by bringing the tree home, place it in water, and decorate it with ridiculous ornaments and glitter, effectively removing any lingering traces of dignity. You end the process by watching the thing die a very slow and painful death before throwing it out without a second thought. And they call _me_ cruel and heartless? Come on, honestly."

Jenny grinned at him. "Crowley?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh no. Please don't say it."

Jenny put on her best puppy-eyes. "Crowley, please. I _need _a tree."

He gave her a dark look. "You live with _three _ men and a woman with grace, and I am the one you want to pester with this?"

She smiled innocently. "Yes." Leaning her head on his shoulder, she spoke in a soft voice. "Honestly, I would like it to be you. But if you really don't want to, it's fine. I understand."

The room was silent for a moment before she could hear a defeated sigh from The King of Hell. "Please tell me we are _buying _one." She gave him a sheepish grin, causing him to put his head in his hand and groan. "Oh _God. _ Don't tell me we are chopping down the tree _ourselves?"_

Encouraged by his use of 'we', she gave him a hesitant smile. "If I say yes, will you still come?"

He glanced at her for a moment before shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes. _Yes, _I will bloody well come." She squealed and jumped into his arms, hugging him and he kissed her on the cheek and sighed. "Insufferable. That's what you are."

His voice was warm, though, so Jenny took no offense. She smiled at him. "Thank you! I'll go get dressed!" He just rolled his eyes and she ran upstairs."

A little while later she was standing in the living room again and Crowley looked at her with soft eyes. "So, love, where do you want to go?"

Jenny thought about it for a moment. Where _did_ she want to go? She had no idea. "Uh, to where there are nice pine trees?"

He gave her an amused smile. "Nice pine trees, hm." After a moment of thoughtfulness he lit up. "I think I know where to go. Come, love."

He held his arms out towards her and she gladly stepped into them. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her on the head and she closed her eyes.

-o-

She opened her eyes to find them in a forest. Somewhere. "Where are we?"

After hugging her tightly for just a moment, he let her go and raised an eyebrow at her. "Boreal forest of Canada. It's a good place to find 'Abies Procera', commonly known as 'Christmastree'."

She had to think about it for a second, but then lit up in understanding. "Ah, silver pine. Nice one." She beamed at him. "You are most definitely the loveliest man in my life."

The King of Hell rolled his eyes but she could see a pleased gleam in them. "Yes, yes, I know. I am wonderful. Now, My Lady, shall we?"

Jenny giggled as she took his arm. "Why, how polite of you, sir. And yes. We shall."

-o-

An hour later, they were far in the woods, and Jenny had trouble not laughing from the eye-rolling, grumbling demon that was following her around. "What is wrong with this tree, then, hmm? I see absolutely _nothing_ wrong with it!"

Jenny pointed at the tree. "There. See that? It's like there is a branch missing. We can't have a tree with a missing branch."

Crowley rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. "Oh no, God forbid we should bring home a tree with a missing branch. That would be just _awful_."

Sending him a beaming smile, she turned and walked towards the next Christmas tree prospect. "I'm glad you are able to see it my way. Now, what about this one?"

He walked up to her and looked at the tree. "Love, this tree looks _exactly _like the last four billion trees we looked at. In other words, perfect." When she cocked her head while looking at the tree, The King of Hell pinched the bridge of his nose. "What. Just _what_ is wrong with this tree?"

"It's too thin."

Crowley groaned.

-o-

**Crowley**

He watched the infuriating, insufferable creature walk further into the woods. What the hell was he even doing here? Chopping down bloody Christmas trees? He shouldn't be here. He should definitely not be here.

But all of a sudden the infuriating creature came running back, and almost slammed into him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked at her in confusion. "What's happening, love?"

She put her head on his chest and spoke in a somewhat embarrassed, muffled voice. "Um, it's dark. It was dark over there." She looked up at him. "It was dark and I got scared, alright?!"

Crowley didn't stand a chance against the bubbling laughter that emerged in him. His laughter echoed in the forest, and Jenny slapped him on the chest. "Shush! You might attract..uh..wolves! Or..something!"

Wrapping his arms around her, he shook his head as he continued laughing. _"__Wolves?_ You have got to be joking! _Wolves?_ Honestly?"

Jenny actually pouted. "Yes. _Wolves._ I am pretty sure there were wolves close by to where I ran from. Now stop laughing at me so we can find a tree!"

Crowley looked at her, pouting lip and all, and had a very clear realisation of what he was doing there, in the middle of a forest in Canada. And the reason was afraid of the dark. She was afraid of the dark, but not him. And it was all worth it.

Rolling his eyes, he took her hand, making her smile at him and pull him towards the place where there might be, or might not be wolves nearby.

-o-

"Four hours, love _four hours_ have we been here, and you still haven't found a tree!" He looked at her for a moment. "And you are freezing, I can see it." Rolling his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day, he held out his arms at her. "And why haven't you told me, you silly woman? Come here, love." Stepping into his arms, she sighed from relief when he let the heat flow from his hands. He shook his head and spoke in a soft voice. "Why didn't you say anything? You are ice cold, dearest."

Her voice was muffled when she spoke. "Because I'm already bothering you enough as it is. I didn't want to whine."

Knowing she couldn't see it, Crowley closed his eyes for a moment before putting a finger under her chin, tilting her head upwards to look her in the eyes. "You are not bothering me, love." He did his number million-and-one eye-roll. "Well, I do not think this will be one of my new favourite activities, but I would not be here if I really objected. Stop your worrying, my dear."

She smiled at him and took his hand before placing a soft kiss on it, making an electric current run through The King of Hell. This woman would be the death of him, he was sure of it. Or perhaps the death of who he was, or even he _used_ to be.

-o-

"Crowley!" Jenny's voice was so excited that he raised his eyebrows in surprise as he walked over to her. She pointed vigorously at a tree. "This one! It's _the _one!"

He looked disbelievingly at her. "Well spank my arse and call me Charlie, it is a bloody Christmas miracle!"

Jenny grinned mischievously at him. "Well, Charlie, I can do that, but could you please chop down this tree first?"

His eyes widened in surprise, but so did hers, and the sight made Crowley chuckle. "Can you now? I'll be sure to remember that, sweetheart. But yes, I may be able to chop down this tree. Especially if I want to get out of this forest _today."_ She got the axe from her bag, and Crowley decided to chop down the tree before she could change her mind.


	18. Rock My Popcorn

_Disclaimer: The usual, quite frankly! I own nothing you recognise! _

_-o-_

**Nikki**

Nikki was pleased as punch when she slumped down in her bed. It was late afternoon, and she had spent most of the day shopping with Jenny. Now she had her beloved iPad again, a flat-screen TV, iPhone 4, DVD-player, movies, and several seasons of different TV-shows.

She had set up the TV and was all kinds of ready to watch something on it, so she had picked 'Gone in 60 Seconds'. She pressed play, grabbed the bowl of popcorn from the nightstand, and leaned back with a sigh.

Three minutes was all that she had time to watch before a hard knock came on the door. "Yeah? Just come in."

Dean entered with a severely displeased expression and she realised why. He was holding one of her bras between two fingers, like it was something toxic. "Really? Really, Nikki? This is what we have come to? I keep finding these.._things_ in the bathroom! Come on!"

To her relief the bra Dean was holding was one of her Victoria's Secret bras. Still awkward, though. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Dean a sharp look. "When you stop leaving your dirty boxers, ew by the way, in there, I will stop leaving my bras."

Dean was about to retort, but then he noticed the Tv and completely lost his momentum. "Oh my god, you're watching Gone in 60 Seconds?" He threw the bra on one of the chairs before walking towards her bed. "Yeah, I'm watching this with you. It's happening. Scoot."

Nikki had no time to argue as he lifted the huge blanket she had covered herself with and placed himself next to her. She rolled her eyes as she gave him more room. "Hey! What if I had been naked under here?"

Dean actually blushed, but gave her a smirk. "Well, that would definitely be more interesting." His blush increased dramatically as he realised what he had just said. "Uh, I mean, sorry. Didn't think of that." She rolled her eyes again and his smirk returned. "Hand over the popcorn, woman."

-o-

Nikki had one of those moments where she realised where she was. What universe she was in. And right now she was casually watching a movie with Dean Winchester. _Dean Winchester. _The world was completely out of whack.

She glanced at the man next to her. The man that had spent forty years in Hell, killed absurd amounts of monsters, saved countless lives, and saved the world at least once. And now, he was sitting here, in her bed, chewing on a straw of liquorice while pointing at the screen to tell her _again _about how totally awesome that car was. He had even managed to get a piece of popcorn stuck in his hair. She plucked it out before thinking and he turned to look at her. "What?"

She gave him an amused smile. "How do you manage to get popcorn stuck in your hair?"

He grinned at her. "It's just a part of my charm, baby."

She giggled and shook her head. "Ah, yes, I can picture it now. Your pickup-lines must make women swoon." She lowered her voice to imitate a manly voice. "Hey baby, want to come back to my place and..pick popcorn from my hair?" She gave him a seductive look. "I'll rock your world if you rock my popcorn."

Dean stared at her with a tense jaw, and he could see his Adam's apple jump as he swallowed. But then a smile broadened on his face and he burst out laughing. "Yeah, that one is always a winner."

-o-

**Dean**

He would gladly let her rock his popcorn if she kept looking at him like that. Although, that would be the worst idea _ever,_ considering their living situation. Nikki was not just some random girl in a bar. She was the woman from another universe with Angel-grace that was living in Bobby's house. A real Lara Croft with guns, drove cars like a pro, baked amazing apple cakes, she was smart, funny..she was just great. Nikki was great. Everything but some random girl.

He liked her. _Really_ liked her. She made him relax, and he really enjoyed spending time with her. Her uncanny ability to calm him down and put him back together when he felt broken was a bit disturbing. Dean was not used to letting people in, and he did not trust easily. But Nikki? She was like the exception that confirmed the rule.

Dean trusted Nikki. And it scared him shitless.

-o-

He was sitting in Bobby's office later that evening with Bobby and Sam when Crowley showed up. Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, what do you want now?" Crowley smirked, but Dean could see that something was off. The demons eyes were more serious than usual. "What now?"

The demon rolled his eyes. "Does it always have to be something bad?" When the three men just looked at him with expressions that said _yeah-it-really-does,_ he sighed. "I want to make a deal." Before anyone could object he held up his index finger to silence them. "Not _that_ kind of deal. More of an..understanding, perhaps."

Sam sighed. "Just get on with it, Crowley."

The King of Hell rolled his eyes. "You know, in my time we considered polite conversation to be a good thing. But very well. You want the girls safe?"

Dean looked at the demon, wondering what his agenda was this time. "Why?"

Crowley rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a yes."

Dean watched the demon hesitate. And Crowley never hesitated, at least not in such an obvious way.

The next thing Crowley said was even more surprising. "We want the same thing. But I cannot tell my demons to back off without reason. I will keep eyes and ears open, and let you know immediately if I learn anything that could be considered a threat." The King of Hell rolled his eyes before he continued. "And, although it pains me to say this, I wish to declare temporary truce. I will not actively try to kill you, deceive you, or harm you, and you will show me the same courtesy."

Dean looked at him with a sceptic expression. "Why should we believe you?"

Crowley curled his hands into fists. "Will you just _once _ take my word for it? The bigger picture is more important at the moment. We have an apocalypse on our hands! And the girls.. I just want them safe, that's all. They are..practical."

Dean raised an eyebrow at him. "And since they are on our side that would make them a threat to you. So, no, not good enough."

Crowley actually growled. "I sodding _like_ them, alright?! That reason good enough for you? Just be ready for incoming monsters if I give word."

The room went silent for a long moment before Dean spoke. "It's Jenny, isn't it? You genuinely _care_ abouther! That's-"

Crowley was in his face the next moment, holding a finger an inch from Dean's face. "If you continue that sentence, Dean Winchester, I _swear _by my own grave that I will make you a nice, new bow tie." His voice came out in a deadly whisper as he continued. "And I will make it out of your _spine."_

The next moment Crowley was gone, and the three men looked at each other in disbelief. Bobby shook his head. "You know, boys, I think there just might be something to what Nikki said. Because that looked pretty darn humane to me."


	19. Raining Blood

_I own nothing you recognise! _

_I hope you like the story so far! _

_-o-_

**Jenny**

What in the world did one buy a demon for Christmas? The King of Hell, none the less. She had already bought presents for her housemates, and even Castiel. But Crowley? She was frying her brain trying to figure it out.

What complicated things even further was the nature of their relationship. If this had been a normal situation, with a plain old human male, she would have been certain that she was about to enter a relationship. But this was no plain old human male. This was a _demon, _for Christ's sake, and The King of _Hell. _There was not anything even _remotely _normal about this situation.

What if it was true, that she brought out the humanity in Crowley? It certainly seemed that way, but she had no physical evidence to prove it. She could only hope.

Did she even want to enter a relationship with the man? Yes, she was definitely in love with him, but a relationship? She tried to picture having Crowley as her boyfriend, but ended up in a fit of laughter from the whole idea of Crowley being a _boyfriend._ A 353 year old demon and King-of-Hell boyfriend. It definitely did not feel right calling him boyfriend. Manfriend, perhaps. Demonfriend? Hellfriend?

Jenny sighed. Yeah, she wanted a damned, probably literally damned when she thought about it, relationship with the man. If he was genuinely changing, she wanted a relationship with him. She knew that people generally didn't change, but Crowley was not people. He was a demon. And if he regained his humanity, he would change no matter if I he wanted it or not.

There was definitely nothing normal about this situation.

-o-

Three days until Christmas. Jenny was getting increasingly excited, and had been virtually bouncing around the house the last two days. She had received an impressive amount of eye-rolls from Dean and Sam, but they looked mostly amused so she didn't mind. She had also found Christmas presents for everybody, including Crowley. She was giving The King of Hell a Christmas present. Hilarious.

Walking down the stairs she found the rest of her housemates except Bobby in the living room. Dean turned to her. "Ah, nice, we were just about to come get you. We have a lead. There is a lady running an antique shop about an hour and a half from here, and we thought we would pay her a visit. Wanna come?"

Jenny most definitely wanted to come, so the four of them headed out.

-o-

"So you have had it in your shop?"

The lady looked at Sam. "Yes, it fits the description. But I sold it a few weeks ago to a well-known collector of such things. Give me a second and I'll find the name for you. Ah, yeah, here. Thomas Miller. Lives just outside of town in a huge mansion. You can't miss it."

Sam nodded at the lady. "Thank you very much."

They headed out of the shop, but only managed to get to the corner before Dean froze in his tracks. "Text from Crowley. Get ready for four demons. At least that's what he says."

And indeed, there they were just as they turned the corner. Black eyes. Four pairs of black eyes were staring at them. Jenny managed to register that the four demons' presence differenced from how Crowley felt before the whole thing went down.

Dean went down quite quickly with a shoulder in a very odd position, but he managed to off one of the demons. Nikki had her gun out and shot another one with a bullet that she had inscribed with a devil's trap before the gun was torn from her hands.

It was torn from her hands by one of the three new arrivals. Three new demons. Even with two demons down, they had five demons on their hands, and Dean was down on the ground with a dislocated shoulder. They were screwed.

She watched as Dean threw something to Nikki, and Nikki ran. What?

Jenny was about to call her Hellhounds, but lost complete track of the situation when an indescribable pain tore through her body. She could hear a familiar voice shout..something.. And then everything went black.

-o-

**Crowley**

Bollocks. He had faith that the Winchesters were able to kill four demons, but seven? Maybe not. And Jenny was there. How prepared were they in the middle of town? And he had not been able to give them a lot of time to prepare. Not to forget the three additional demons he was unaware of until _after_ he had sent that text to Dean. Oh, _bollocks!_

He had to go there. He _had_ to go there. Except, how would it look if The King of Hell interfered and _saved_ the Winchesters? He could only keep up the I-need-them-for-the-apocalypse for so long before his demons started to question his motives. Started to question him, suspect that he was going soft. And that could not happen. But Jenny.. What if she got hurt? Got killed?

The pain that engulfed him from the thought of Jenny dying left him unable to breathe. Crowley vanished from where he was standing.

-o-

He appeared in the middle of a combat scene, and the first thing he saw almost made him buckle down. He arrived just in time to see a demon grab Jenny, lift a knife, and plunge into her back. The anguish and pure fury that filled him was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He watched her face, watched her eyes as they lost that lovely spark that he had learned to appreciate so much, that he had learned to love about her.

Crowley did not even know what he was doing. He screamed in uncontrollable rage as he ran towards the demon that was still holding a lifeless Jenny.

-o-

**Dean**

Dean had no idea what was going on as he heard screaming from behind him. He was trying to get up, but his shoulder made his movements impossible from the angle he was laying on the ground. Finally he heard the familiar sound of the Impala as the car literally drifted into view. Dean was sure she was about to hit a trash can, but Nikki skilfully avoided it and came to a stop next to them. He managed to get up just as she rolled down the window. "Get in!"

But then, everything was over. Dean turned around to see The King of Hell with an expression of pure fury and anguish on his face, unlike anything he had seen before. And he quickly realised why. Crowley was heading for a demon. The demon was holding Jenny in his arms, and she had a huge knife sticking out of her back. Oh, crap. Crowley reached the demon, snagged Jenny from him, and snapped his fingers.

Every single demon exploded in a rain of blood.

Dean couldn't do anything but watch The King of Hell as he kneeled down with Jenny in his arms. He could barely hear the demon's voice as he spoke continuingly at Jenny. And the intense desperation was so audible in his voice that Dean couldn't do anything but stare in disbelief. "Don't you _dare,_ love! _Don't you dare leave! _I don't know.. I don't know what I'll do if.. Just don't be dead.. _Please,_ love, _please.."_ While he was talking, he gently pulled out the knife and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him and closed his eyes.

Dean almost sagged with relief the next moment when he heard Jenny cough. The King of Hell _visibly_ sagged with relief. The worry in Crowley's eyes as he gently moved her so he could look at her was so obvious that Dean could not believe it to be an act.

Dean was convinced. Crowley genuinely cared about Jenny.

He turned to see Nikki run towards her best friend with panic in her eyes. "Jenny! Oh my god, Jenny!"

She tried to pull Jenny towards her, but Crowley looked at her with murder in his eyes. _"__Don't touch her!"_

Nikki almost recoiled, but then narrowed her eyes at the demon. "But she is hurt! I can heal her!"

Crowley got up from the ground, still with Jenny in his arms. "I _have_ healed her. She is already healed. Get away from her."

Dean could see the situation was about to escalate, and stepped in. "We should go. Are you coming, Crowley?"

The King of Hell gave Dean a short nod and strode towards the car, and Dean, to his frustration realised that he was unable to drive with his shoulder like this. Nikki was standing there with the keys to the impala in her hand and he narrowed his eyes at her. "You. You'll drive. But you better take _extremely_ good care of that car, or else I swear I'll _haunt_ your ass!"

-o-

**Jenny**

She drifted in and out of consciousness, and every time Crowley was there, stroking her hair or murmuring soft words at her.

For some reason, Sam was sitting in the back. Oh. Nikki was driving. Wait, Nikki was driving? She could hear Dean and Nikki bicker in the front seat. Ah. He was not exactly pleased about the situation. She remembered the sight of Dean's shoulder as he fell. That had to be the reason.

She drifted out of consciousness again, and the next time she woke up in her bed. And she sighed in relief when she realised Crowley was still there.


	20. You Got Stabbed!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise._

_-o-_

**Nikki**

She parked the car outside and Crowley was out of the car in an instant, heading for the house. _Goddammit,_ she thought as she threw the car keys to Dean and ran after them. "Crowley! Stop! Damn you, let me see her!"

The King of Hell actually stopped and turned around with a tense jaw. "I'm taking her upstairs. She needs rest."

Nikki actually growled at him. "You will not be taking her _anywhere_ until I see her! Damn you, Crowley! King of Hell or not, _you will let me see her! _ Let me check on her!"

The King of Hell rolled his eyes. "I see that Jenny is not the only infuriating woman here. But very well. Not here, though. She _does _need rest, having lost a lot of blood. It will take time to heal her properly. You can see her upstairs." Nikki was about to object but The King of Hell narrowed his eyes and hissed. _"Upstairs!"_

-o-

Crowley gently placed Jenny on the bed and grudgingly stepped aside to let Nikki see her. Nikki gave a small gasp from the sight of her friend. "Oh, Jenny.." Jenny looked so pale and lifeless where she lay in the bed. Nikki sat down at the edge and took her friend's hand.

Nikki sighed in relief when Jenny opened her eyes and smiled weakly at her. "Oh, hey." Jenny furrowed her eyebrows. "Uh, what happened?"

Nikki couldn't help smiling from the absurdity of what she was about to say. "You got stabbed. How are you feeling?"

Jenny's eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled. "I got stabbed?! Oh my god, that's..that's badass!"

Jenny looked down her body and Crowley spoke. "You're full of demon-guts, love."

Jenny stared at him. "Okay, that's..ew! Gross!"

Nikki patted her friend's hand before standing up. "A shower, perhaps? I can help you, if you want."

Crowley made a frustrated sound. "You will do nothing of the kind. _I _will help her."

Nikki spun around and pointed at the demon. "Oh _hell _ no. You realise that includes undressing her? And you will not be undressing my best friend. I will tell you what you will be doing. You know that energy drink she loves? You will go get that. And ice cubes." Crowley stared furiously at her and was about to retort, but Nikki hissed at him. _"Ice cubes, _Crowley! Go!"

The King of Hell stared at her for another long moment, but then he sighed, rolled his eyes, and vanished.

-o-

**Jenny**

She was back in her bed, feeling exhausted. Nikki had helped her shower off the demon-goo (ew, by the way) and she was now blissfully clean and warm under her blanket in the bed. Nikki had yelled at Crowley at least ten times, but the demon just would _not _leave, no matter what she said. In the end, Nikki looked at her and rolled her eyes, pointing her thumb at the demon without him seeing it. "Jenny, I'm going to leave now. Are you going to be alright?"

Jenny grinned at her friend. "Yes, I promise. Thank you, honestly."

-o-

Jenny watched Nikki leave, and in the next second Crowley was there on the edge of the bed, cupping her face while studying her. "How do you feel, love?"

She put her hand over Crowley's and smiled at him. "I feel fine." When he raised an eyebrow at her, she giggled. "Alright, maybe not _perfect." _

He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead before taking her hand. "I almost thought I lost you there for a moment, love." The expression on his face darkened before he continued. "Don't you _ever _do that to me again, understand?"

Her eyebrow rose in surprise from the intensity of his voice. "You know I can't really _promise _that, but I _can _promise to do my absolute best. I rather enjoy living, after all."

Crowley gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Let's keep it that way then, shall we?"

-o-

**Crowley**

She had been _so _close to slipping away from him. _Too _close. And what would he have done then? _You fool, you would have gone back to your normal life,_ he thought. _That's what you would have done._

And if that wasn't the worst bullshit he had ever heard, he didn't know what was. Go back to his normal life? Yeah, right. He would have done everything in his power to get her back, that's what he would have done.

Bollocks.

-o-

Crowley looked at the pale woman in the bed as she yawned. "You should try to get some sleep, my dear."

She sighed. "I guess." Looking at him with an expression he found himself unable to read, she spoke in a soft voice. "Will you stay?"

He gazed at her before giving her a soft smile. "I wouldn't be anywhere else, love."

-o-

**Nikki**

Nikki sighed as she walked back downstairs and to the kitchen where Dean was standing. He looked at her. "Jenny alright?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, she is. Thank God. I let Crowley stay. Or, he refused to leave, more like it."

Dean chuckled. "I can imagine, actually." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't even have to haunt your ass; the impala is without a scratch. Nice one." His face turned more serious as he looked at her. "How about you, though? Are _you_ alright?"

Nikki didn't really know what to say. Was she alright? Well, yes, sort of. But there was this hole inside her, filled with dread. Jenny had almost died. She had almost _died._ Nikki wrapped her arms around her body and looked at Dean. "I.."

In the next moment he was there, pulling her close to him before looking at her. "It's going to be okay, Nikki. I swear."

Nikki smiled, resting her forehead against Deans'. She could feel the fear and pain and anger just vanish. What a crappy day it had turned out to be. She pressed her face against Dean's neck and could almost forget the world outside Dean's arms. She liked it here and she never wanted to leave.

She felt safe, and so relieved that everyone was alright after a shitty day. More importantly, Jenny was alright. Nikki almost felt like giving in to the lump in her throat, but knew Dean would run away in panic if any sort of crying happened, so she just sighed and gave in to the feeling of being in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, facing his neck and breathed in leather, sweat and something that was just _Dean_. She felt one of his arms tighten around her waist, and felt his other arm go up to her hair. His hand was in her hair, caressing the back of her head, comforting and reassuring. Safe, she was safe.

-o-

**Dean**

He could feel her breath rush over the crook of his neck, her nose brushing over the sensitive skin. His breath hitched, and then he inwardly shook himself. This was not the time or place for those kinds of thoughts. Not that there had been any of those before either. Nope. None.

They were okay, that was the main point. Those demons had almost managed to kill Jenny, had not Crowley interfered. But they were all okay. Thank God.

He felt good just standing there, with his arms wrapped around Nikki. Never in a million years would he think he would stand like this, with a chick, comforting her and, somehow, feel just as comforted back... But this wasn't some random chick, though, it was Nikki. Her arms sneaked their way inside his jacket, and she wrapped them around his torso. Dean rested his chin on her head, breathed her in, closed his eyes and tried searing this memory into his brain.

-o-

**Jenny**

She woke up from someone saying her name. "Jenny, _Jenny._ It's alright, love. You are dreaming, it's just a dream. Wake up, dearest."

Oh. Nightmare. How wonderful. Not very surprising, though, considering the day she'd had. "Crowley?" Even her voice sounded frail as she spoke.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking softly at her. "I'm here, love. Bad dreams?"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Indeed. I have a very vivid imagination, and my dreams go over-the-top-crazy sometimes." She raised an eyebrow in question at him. "Have you been sitting there this whole time?" When he nodded, she sighed. "Oh.. Uh, I'm sorry. That sounds uncomfortable. You can leave, if you want."

He shook his head at her. "Not happening, my dear. Believe me, I am quite comfortable." He hesitated for a moment. "Unless you _want_ me to leave?"

Jenny shook her head as well. "Definitely not." She cocked her head at him. "Do demons sleep?"

Crowley chuckled. "They do, if they want to. Why do you ask, love?"

She gave him an uncertain smile as she scooted to give him more room. "Then sleep?"

He gazed at her before shrugging off his jacket and shoes. Removing his tie, he placed it on her nightstand, and Jenny thanked all that was holy that she was so exhausted. The sight of Crowley climbing into her bed wearing only pants and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top made her mind go to all kinds of places it shouldn't.

But when he lay down next to her and pulled her close to him, and Jenny felt his soft breathing on her neck.. Well, she had trouble describing it. It was just _right._ Everything was _right._ This was where she was supposed to be.

Jenny had never felt as safe as when sleeping in the arms of The King of Hell.


	21. Bow to Your King, Losers!

_Have any of you heard of the almond-in-the-porridge thing? xD We do this every year. Put an almond in the porridge, and the one to find gets a prize._

_How do you like the story so far? I love reviews! _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise_

_-o-_

**Jenny**

She woke up feeling unusually warm, and the sensation almost made her sigh with pleasure. The next moment she realised what the reason was. Crowley. Crowley was here, and he was lying behind her, with his arm was around her waist. And she could hear from the steady way he was breathing that he was sleeping_. _The King of Hell was _sleeping_ in _her bed_. The world was insane. Completely and utterly insane

She just stayed like that, in the warmth her demon behind her, thinking about how insanely her world had changed in less than three months.

Wait. What had she just been thinking? _Her _ demon? She was thinking of The King of Hell as _her _demon? Yup, the world was most definitely going insane.

But he was, wasn't he? _Her_ demon. He had saved her life yesterday. He had saved them all, come to think about it.

"What are you thinking about, love? I can practically _hear_ the wheels spinning in your head."

Jenny giggled as she turned around. Looking at him, she gave him a soft smile while stroking his cheek. "You saved my life yesterday."

He gazed at her before smiling softly back at her. "I wouldn't be a very good King of Hell if I let my minions run rampage on me like that, now would I?"

She rolled her eyes. "Indeed." Looking at him more seriously, she continued. "What happened to them? Are they back in Hell?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Well, no. I'm afraid I let my anger get the best of me. They are not in Hell. They aren't anywhere, actually."

She gave him a confused look. "They are just..gone? You can do that?"

"I'm The King of Hell, sweetheart." He smiled smugly at her. "I can do anything."

-o-

Jenny sat in her room after Crowley left with a foolish grin on her face. The King of Hell had just left, wearing a wrinkled shirt and pants. And he had forgotten his tie. What was the world coming to? She shook her head before heading downstairs.

-o-

**Crowley**

So, he was sleeping with her now, was he? And not even in the dirty sense. He was literally _sleeping_. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually slept. But, he had admit waking up with a warm, soft woman in his arms was not the worst feeling in the world. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Crowley sighed as he went to sit down at his desk to look at the latest crossroad-deals. He was seriously behind on the paperwork. Damn woman.

-o-

**Nikki**

"Oh my god, _of course _we need to do the whole almond-in-porridge-thing! It's tradition!"

Nikki was almost stomping her foot on the floor, and Dean raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I've never heard of it, that's for sure. It sounds weird."

Jenny entered the kitchen. "Oh, no, we are most certainly doing it. I had to make Crowley zap me to Norway just to get the bloody marzipan pig. It's happening."

Bobby chuckled from where he sat at the kitchen table. "Let me get this straight, girl. You made The King of Hell take you to _Norway, _just to buy a darned _marzipan pig?"_

Jenny giggled. "Well, when you say it like that I will admit it sounds kind of far out. But, yes, I did. So we need to do this."

-o-

Nikki took a deep breath before tapping the call-button on her phone. It rang twice before she heard his voice. "Not an everyday occurrence getting a call from Xena, The Warrior Princess herself. What can I do for you?"

Nikki stopped in confusion for a moment. "Uh, what? It's Nikki."

"And I am well aware of that. Do you think I start all my conversations like this? Now, again, what can I do for you, princess?"

Nikki smiled as she rolled her eyes. "You are coming here to eat porridge."

The line went silent for a moment before Crowley spoke again, and to Nikki's relief, his voice sounded amused. "And why, pray tell, am I doing that exactly?"

Nikki could hear the sheepish tone in her voice as she replied. "Because you can..uh..find the almond?" She paused for a moment. "Look, Crowley. We are having all kinds of Christmas traditions going on, and Jenny would love to have you here. And you saved her life, so I am all for it."

"Has she said so?"

"Not in so many words, but I _know_ her. So believe me when I say that she would really like you to be here."

"And what of the Winchesters?"

Nikki shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "They will just have to deal with it, now won't they? Honestly, though, I don't think they mind."

Crowley chuckled. "Very well."

-o-

Nikki had been completely right. She was in the kitchen with the rest when Crowley appeared. Everyone was at the time with their back to where he popped up, so Nikki's eyes went to Jenny to see her friend's head snap up and a beaming smile broaden on her face.

Without turning around, Jenny spoke. "Are you here to win the marzipan pig, Crowley?"

Everyone's heads turned to Jenny with confusion before looking around the room. Crowley chuckled at the response. "You can be sure of it, love. The almond will be mine."

Sam just gawked at The King of Hell, Dean rolled his eyes with a smirk, and Bobby chuckled. "Have a seat then, won't you?"

-o-

Nikki put porridge on the plates and put the almond in one of them before Jenny served everyone, so no one would know who got the almond.

She was thoroughly entertained to find that the tension was high when they started eating. Bobby and Crowley looked amused, but Dean and Sam was obviously having a case of competitive instinct, seeing how they both had grave expressions, and was eating the porridge like it was a matter of great importance. Nikki met Jenny's eyes over the table, and could barely hold back the bubble of laughter that threatened to burst inside of her.

They mostly ate in silence, although Jenny and Nikki tried to keep a conversation going. Crowley joined in now and then with a snarky remark, and it seemed Bobby was mostly amused by the whole thing. Dean and Sam were too focused on the porridge-of-great-importance, and did not say much.

About ten minutes had passed when Crowley froze with a weird expression on his face. A victorious smile broadened on his face as he plucked something from his mouth. The almond.

The King of Hell actually got up from his chair and held the almond in the air with the smuggest smile Nikki had ever seen on his face. "Hah! Victory is mine!" He pointed at Dean and Sam. "Bow to your king, losers!"

Dean rolled his eyes and gave Crowley an annoyed look. "You haven't exactly found The Holy Grail, douchebag. Sit down before you hurt yourself."

Crowley sat down, but the smug smile was well intact when he looked at Dean. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings, squirrel?"

Dean glanced furiously at him. "I'll get over it."

Sam cut in with a very amused smile on his face. "Wait.. That would make you _The King of the Almonds_, then?"

Crowley spun his head around to look at Sam. "Most certainly not!" The King of the Almonds quickly realised his mistake when everybody burst out laughing. His voice came out in a displeased grumble when he spoke. "Just give me the ruddy marzipan pig, will you?"

-o-

Today had been a good day; Nikki decided when she got ready for bed that night. And tomorrow would be even better. She had found Crowley in the living room at some point, and informed him that his presence on Christmas Eve was pretty much mandatory. She was still wondering why he had looked like she had just caught him doing something he shouldn't, though. _Oh, well,_ she thought. _Let's hope it's nothing bad, at least._


	22. Twice on Sunday

_I love Christmas, don't you?_

_I love Christmas, and own nothing! _

_Nooow, on with the story!_

_-o-_

**Jenny**

She woke up with a feeling of euphoria, quickly realised why. Christmas Eve. Today was Christmas Eve! Getting out of her bed, she dressed and headed downstairs to look for her housemates.

She found Nikki in the kitchen, and was greeted with a beaming smile. "Merry Christmas!"

Jenny grinned back at her friend. "Merry Christmas! Where is everyone?"

Nikki pointed a thumb in the direction of the door. "Dean and Sam are outside and Bobby is in his office I think. They disappeared right when I started cooking." She raised an eyebrow. "Suspicious timing, wouldn't you agree?"

Jenny giggled. "Very suspicious. Need help?"

-o-

They spent the better half of the day preparing. Cooking, getting their clothes ready, showering, and placing the table. Jenny even folded the napkins into small Christmas trees.

Nikki came out of the kitchen to see Jenny as she was folding the last napkin. "You'll need one more." Nikki gave Jenny a wicked smile. "Crowley is coming. Or so he said."

Jenny jumped up from the chair and went over and hugged her friend. "Thank you! I didn't want to get my hopes up, seeing how he just gave me a 'we'll see, love' when I asked him yesterday."

-o-

Jenny was humming to herself as she placed the last present under the tree. Nikki had convinced their housemates that opening the presents on Christmas Eve was much better than Christmas morning, so in a few hours they would be opening them. The rest of her housemates were in the kitchen, even Crowley was here. And since Nikki had told him Christmas Eve was mandatory, he was staying. Jenny was _thrilled._

She was about to head for the kitchen as well, but froze in her tracks when her feet suddenly stuck to the floor. She could literally not lift her feet. "Uh, guys? I am stuck! Help!"

Everyone came out of the kitchen with worried faces except Crowley, whom was smirking. He lifted a hand and pointed towards the ceiling, and she looked up to see a small, green branch hanging there. She was confused for a moment before realising what it was. Mistletoe. Friggin mistletoe. "Crowley! Let me go!"

Sam looked at Crowley with confused eyes. "What? What did you do?"

Jenny crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "I'm stuck, and I mean _literally_ stuck, under the mistletoe. _Wonder_ what that means."

Dean chuckled and even Sam smiled. "I think that means you need someone to kiss you. That about right, Crowley?"

Crowley grinned. "Right on target, moose."

Sam shrugged and walked towards Jenny. Oh _shit_. He was going to kiss her, wasn't he? Before she could panic for real, Crowley gave a small growl. "Don't you _dare,_ Sam Winchester." Sam gave Crowley a confused look, but stopped, and Crowley strode towards her.

He stopped right in front of her with a smug smile and she rolled her eyes as she felt her cheeks turn a colour that nicely matched the current holiday. Was he actually planning to _kiss_ her? And was he actually planning to kiss her _right in front of everyone?_

It seemed he was, and Jenny was sure her heart was going to stop as Crowley stepped closer to her and grabbed her by the waist with one arm. He proceeded to wink at her before smoothly leaning her backwards. Her breath hitched, but she managed to keep somewhat collected as he stared at her. She failed miserably in sounding like her normal self as her voice came out in a shivering whisper when she spoke. "I was not aware that we were dancing the tango."

He chuckled softly. "Neither was I, love. I thought we were kissing."

A small, shaky laugh escaped her. "Well, if we are, this is a new form of kissing that I have not experienced before."

He gave her a playful smile and his eyes were glittering when he leaned in and kissed her.

Jenny had not experienced this form of kissing before either. It was like an electric current ran through her body when his lips touched hers, and she completely forgot about everything and everyone as the surroundings faded out. All she could focus on was Crowley, and the marvellous feeling of his lips pressed against hers.

It felt like her whole body was about to explode when he entangled his hand in her hair and she felt the tip of his tongue grace her lower lip. Her lips automatically parted and the feeling when his tongue touched hers made her aware of just how thankful she was that he was already holding her, because her knees literally buckled. He tasted of something sweet, like honey, with a hint of whiskey, and his lips were wonderfully warm and so much softer than she had expected.

The kiss itself was breathtakingly soft as well. It was the gentlest, but intensely passionate kiss she had ever been on the receiving end of.

When someone cleared their throat, Jenny's eyes snapped open. Crowley released her lips, but didn't lift her up to a standing position right away; he just gazed at her for an endless moment. Jenny had never seen his eyes quite so alive, or his expression flicker with so many emotions ever before.

His voice came out in a soft whisper when he spoke. "Breathe, love."

Oh, yeah. That thing. Breathing. She was going to do that, if she could just remember how. Ah. There. Air in lungs. Good.

Crowley narrowed his eyes slightly, and then he leaned in again, placing another soft kiss on her lips before returning her to an upright position. He let her go and smiled wickedly. "There, love. I saved you. You can move now."

Ah, moving. How did that work again? Feet and stuff. Maybe she could just wait a bit, until she remembered. Yeah, good idea.

Oh god. Everyone was _staring._ She had to get her brain coherent. She felt completely dishevelled; although she probably looked just the same as she did before she was tango-dipped and kissed into an emotional coma by The King of Hell.

Emotionally dishevelled, that's what she was.

Her brain finally managed to break free of the lock-down when Crowley poked her in the side before turning to address the gawping audience. "Show's over, people. We'll be here all week." He turned to her with glittering eyes. "Twice on Sunday."

-o-

**Crowley**

So, that plan had backfired on him in a most exceptional way. Of course he had wanted to kiss her, and an enchanted mistletoe had seemed like a splendid idea at the time. He had been hoping to catch her off-guard with a kiss that left her breathless. And as far as he could see, he had succeeded.

He had, however, not been prepared for the kiss to leave him breathless as well. It had taken him all his self-control to put up a straight face afterwards. He had been completely lost in her, in the kiss, until the moment where someone, he couldn't even recall who, had cleared their throat.

His brilliant plan had most definitely backfired. Because now, all he wanted to do was to kiss her again. And preferably never stop.

Bollocks.

-o-

**Nikki**

About an hour after Crowley had kissed Jenny into oblivion in front of everyone, Nikki finally managed to get a moment alone with her friend. She pulled Jenny into the corner of the kitchen, and her voice was an intense whisper when she spoke. "Oh my _GOD!_ He kissed you! How was it?!"

Jenny's eyes were shining, and the smile on her face could not be described as anything but completely and utterly pink-clouds-in-love-foolish when she spoke. "I..I can't even.. _I can't even!_ It was amazing! The whole leaving-her-breathless-thing? Yeah, that. That happened. I'm..oh god..I.. Nope! Can't even! He's _KILLING_ me, honestly!" Jenny paused for a moment before looking disbelievingly at Nikki. "I was kissed under the mistletoe by a _demon! _ No wait, _The King of Hell, _even!" Nikki watched Jenny's expression soften. "I was kissed under the mistletoe by Crowley. Crowley kissed me." She gave Nikki an amused smile. "I thought Sam was going to kiss me there, for a moment. I almost freaked."

Nikki laughed. "Yeah, I could see that. Crowley wasn't pleased."

Jenny rolled her eyes with a smile. "And thank god for that."

They were in the middle of euphoric, excited jumping while holding hands when Bobby entered the kitchen. He stopped to look at them for a moment before shaking his head. "Christmas makes people idjits."

-o-

**Sam**

He was loving this. They were finally having a proper Christmas. With presents, food, eggnog that Dean had spiked like always, a beautiful Christmas tree, partially thanks to The King of Hell, cheerful people, and Christmas music. Yeah. He was definitely loving this. And he loved the girls for making this possible for them.

Sam was currently watching his brother talk to Nikki, and wondered when Dean was going to get his head out of his ass and realise how much he liked her. Because Sam could definitely see it. He was pretty sure Nikki had a thing for Dean as well, but it seemed as both of them remained oblivious to it.

Sam almost hoped for another mistletoe-accident. He would most certainly not volunteer if Nikki got stuck under it.

And about that mistletoe. What had actually happened there? The murderous look Crowley had given him when he walked towards Jenny to just give her a peck on the mouth.. Well, Sam had almost recoiled. And the kiss itself? Well, it wasn't just any kiss. Obviously something was going on there, between Jenny and Crowley. And how would _that_ end up? Sam had to admit that Crowley was indeed changing, but could he change that much?

After thinking about it for a bit, Sam realised he was willing to give Crowley a chance, having watched him lately. If it by some remote chance resulted in Jenny being happy and The King of Hell on their side, well, who was he to complain.

Sam just hoped Dean would open his eyes soon as well. Not about Crowley, because it seemed his brother had more or less the same point of view as Sam when it came to The King of Hell, but about Nikki.

Dean deserved a chance for some happiness. They all did, in Sam's honest opinion.

-o-

**Jenny**

Her favourite part of Christmas Eve was here. The presents. Although she loved every part of Christmas Eve, except for maybe the cleaning up afterwards, the _presents _were the thing that made her most excited. It was the perfect ending to one of her favourite days of the year.

Sam was really happy about the iPad that Nikki and Jenny had given him, and had abandoned all the other gifts to play with it.

Bobby was already wearing his new caps, with a glass of expensive whiskey in his hand.

Nikki was pleased about the gift Jenny had given her as well, it seemed. Custom-made leather boots with high heels. High, _detachable_ heels. You know, in case they needed to run. On the inside of the shoe was a knife-sheath. The man making the boots had given her a weird look when she asked for it, but Jenny had blabbered about hunting and how great knives were for hunting, and hunting was such a _fun_ activity, so in the end the man had just shrugged while shaking his head at her.

Dean was currently opening the gift from her, and Jenny watched as Dean grinned when he saw what was written on the T-shirt she had gotten for him. Custom-made, as well. After all, what was France good for, if not buying custom-made gifts?

Dean grinned. "Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole? Friggin _perfect! _Awesome! Thanks, Jenny!"

Jenny picked one of the presents from her pile to open. She found no card, so she decided to just open it and see if she could guess who got it for her.

She opened it to find a t-shirt. Reading the print, she blushed as her eyes went to where Crowley was sitting. And indeed, there he was, smiling smugly at her. Jenny narrowed her eyes at him before quickly putting the t-shirt away.

The print on the t-shirt read **_'_****_Sometimes I wrestle with my demons. Sometimes we just snuggle.'_**

Insufferable man; that was what he was.

-o-

**Nikki**

Bobby had given her a book about Angels, more specifically about Grace. She couldn't wait to read it. And she couldn't wait to use the boots from Jenny. She had tried them, and the heels, although they seemed like they were completely attached, came off in two clicks. They were just awesome. Now she just needed a knife to complete them.

Crowley, to her tremendous surprise, had given her a present as well. A book, or an old tome more like it, about how to properly enchant items against demons. 'Congratulations, you now have the knowledge on how to create a Demon Blade. It works on bullets as well', he had said with a bored expression as she opened it. The King of Hell was obviously losing his mind. _Or maybe his heart, _she thought with a smile.

She was about to open the gift from Dean, and realised he wouldn't even look at her. To the point where he was making small talk with Crowley. She frowned in confusion as she started to unwrap the present.

The present was huge, and her heart skipped a beat when she opened it. It was a small chest, probably made from cherry wood, and it was beautifully carved with probably every protective symbol there was. Nikki stared at it for a bit before opening the lid.

What she found inside made her forget how to breathe. There were several compartments, and three of them had items in them. The largest compartment contained six, small daggers. Throwing-daggers, she realised. She had been talking about wanting to learn that particular skill. And he had remembered.

Next, she found a small blade, looking like a smaller version of a Demon Blade, and Dean had obviously manned up enough to speak to her, because he cut in. "It will fit your boots. The ones Jenny gave you."

Nikki just looked at him with wide eyes. Dean had obviously put effort into her present. Dean started to look very uncomfortable, and she realised she had been staring at him for.. Well, she didn't know how long.

She snapped her brain out of paralysis, and smiled at Dean. "This is..I can't even begin to thank you enough. This is amazing, Dean."

He looked even more uncomfortable as he cleared his throat a little too loudly. "Well, uh, it's practical, you know."

Bobby saved the situation by cutting in. "It's about time you girls got your own hunter-weapons. About darned time, if you ask me."

Sam pointed at Nikki's present. "The last thing is my favourite. Have you checked it out yet?"

Had everyone been in on this? Probably, when she thought about it. If everything was enchanted it was probably a good idea to get Bobby and Sam to help him.

Jenny confirmed her thoughts in the next moment. "Everything was Dean's idea. Including the sheath in the boot, I must admit."

Sam continued. "Some of the enchantments needed more than one person to perform. So yeah, we all knew. It's Dean's work, though, the rest of us just helped out a bit when needed."

Dean loudly cleared his throat again, making Crowley chuckle. Dean gave the demon a sharp look before turning to Nikki again. "Yeah, this last thing is pretty awesome. I found it in a shop, uh, not far from here."

Nikki looked back in the box and picked up the last item. Or two items. They looked almost like small, T-shaped, wooden swords with metal handles. Except the wooden blades were round, not flat,. From looking at them, they had seemed awkwardly heavy, but were surprisingly light in her hand. Dean cleared his throat. _Again._ "Uh, it's for your hair. You know, like the Japanese women, uh what are they called again?"

Sam rolled his eyes. _"__Geisha,_ Dean. Geisha."

Dean gave Sam an annoyed look. "I _knew_ that." He turned back to Nikki. "Geisha. That's what they are called. But here is the cool thing."

He took the two items from her and she gasped when he pressed down a button on the side, and pulled out a sharp, thin blade. He smiled at her. "It's small Sai-Blades. They are light, and easily hidden, as you can see."

Nikki couldn't help herself from leaning over to kiss Dean on the cheek. "This is the best Christmas present I have gotten in my _life._ Thank you _so_ much!"

Dean blushed, and cleared his throat for the umpteenth time. "Uh, no problem."

-o-

**Jenny**

She had to admit she was quite impressed by Bobby's library. He had given her two books, one about Hellhounds, and one about demonic magic. Maybe she could find out more about why she could sense demons.

Sam had gotten both her and Nikki a full encyclopedia on the supernatural universe. That he had made himself. The present had resulted in Sam being on the receiving end of at least six excited hugs within the range of two hours.

Dean had given her a new gun, which was quite thoughtful, because he had taken in consideration what Jenny's problem with the old gun was. It was too heavy, and Jenny felt constantly clumsy with it. The new gun was smaller and lighter, and the recoil was much easier. Jenny was thoroughly pleased.

The present from Nikki had made Jenny laugh. Nikki had given her (and why had no one invented this yet?) salt-spray, like she had threatened Crowley with on several occasions. She had also given Jenny a set of jewelry, earrings, necklace, and a bracelet, all engraved with protective symbols. It was great, and not to forget _gorgeous._ It was small, silver skulls with the symbols engraved all over them, cleverly hidden in a Día de Muertos-style. Jenny _loved_ them.

Jenny had one present left, and this one had a card with one sentence written in it. **_Happy Christmas, love. _**Crowley. _Help, _she thought as she started to open it with shaking hands.

_Oh, God, it's jewelry, _she thought as she unwrapped it to find a small box inside. She couldn't make herself open it, and just stared at the box for a very long moment.

Crowley's voice startled her out of her deadlock as he came to sit in front of her on the floor. "It won't bite, love."

She gave him a sheepish look. "Are you sure?"

He chuckled at her. "I'm positive, dearest."

_Well, here goes,_ she thought and lifted the lid, just to stare at the item inside.

Crowley chuckled again. "Perhaps you need an explanation? It's a bracelet, love. A charm-bracelet."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I can see that, you infuriating man. It's just..it's beautiful."

Crowley smiled softly at her. "I am glad you think so, love." When she just sat there with the box in her hands, he rolled his eyes again. "Well, are you going to _look_ at it?"

Jenny gave him an annoyed look before relenting and picking up the bracelet. It was silver, but it felt a bit heavier than she expected, so she looked at it in confusion as she weighed it in her hand.

Crowley obviously noticed her confused look. "It's not silver. It's platinum. That's why it's heavier."

She blinked at the man. _"__Platinum?_ No, please don't tell me it's _platinum."_ He just gave her an amused smile and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking at him again. "Crowley..honestly.."

He shook his head. "Of course it's platinum, love. It's much stronger. Now, will you _look_ at it? Patience isn't one of my virtues." He thought about it for a moment. "Well, I don't-"

Jenny interrupted him and continued his sentence without thinking. "-Have any virtues. But if I did, I'm sure patience wouldn't be one of them." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Very well, I will _look_ at it." He just looked bemused at her as she started to study the bracelet more closely. It had three charms on it already.

The first one she noticed was a triangle-shaped red stone with round edges, almost heart-shaped, and about one centimeter in all directions. She looked at Crowley in panic. "Crowley, tell me this is not a ruby."

He smiled at her. "It's not a ruby, love."

Jenny sighed in relief, but froze a moment later. "Then what is it?"

Crowley narrowed his eyes at her. "Let's just say that..it's not a ruby."

Jenny wanted to argue, but he looked so shut-off that she decided to pick her battles. For now. She looked at the next thing with another confused look. "Is this..Is this a whistle?" Studying it more closely, she could see an inscription on it. **_Queen of the Hellhounds._**

Jenny looked bewildered at Crowley, and he cocked his head at her. "You can see the inscription, now can you? Interesting. Only supernatural beings of the more..dark persuasion can see that type of inscription." When Jenny gave him a panicked look he shook his head at her. "Do not fret, love. You can sense demons and supernatural creatures, can you not? I am not surprised you can see the inscription. It makes sense." Raising an eyebrow, he sighed. "The Hellhounds are yours." When she was about to object, he waved his hand dismissible at her. "I hate to say this, but I seem to no longer have any power over them. You are their Mistress now, no matter if I like it or not. And that.." He pointed at the small cylinder-shaped metal charm in her hand. "Is a Hellhound-whistle. They will come to you instantly if you use it. No matter how far away you are from them."

Jenny looked at the small metal object. It seemed to be antique. _A Hellhound-whistle? Probably more like unbelievably ancient,_ she thought as she studied the thing. It was maybe two centimeters long, and was engraved with curls and twists everywhere. And on the back, the inscription that only dark beings could read. Great. Although, Queen of the Hellhounds? She liked the sound of that.

Crowley's voice was so soft when he continued that her heart skipped a beat. "This one, love.." He pointed at the last charm on the bracelet. "Makes it possible for me to find you, if you need me. No matter what kind of enchantments you are placed under. You are already able to call on me, but with this I will always know where you are, should you need it."

Jenny looked at the small charm. It was a black gemstone, and it didn't look like much until she studied it up close. It was like it had a golden glow within. She met Crowley's eyes, and he gave her another soft smile. His voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. "A light in the darkness, love."

He was so close to her that she couldn't stop herself from what she did next. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

-o-

**Crowley**

She caught him completely off guard with that kiss. She pulled away from him, and the urge to pull her right back to continue the kiss was so strong that he almost gave in. Luckily, he remembered where they were, and that there was no mistletoe this time. This was not the time or the place for it.

The soft look she gave him almost made him surrender to his urge to kiss her again, but she smiled at him and spoke in the softest voice Crowley had ever heard from her. "You are the sweetest man I have ever met. And this is the nicest, most amazing thing anyone has ever given me, or done for me. Thank you."

Crowley looked at her, and he felt.. Well, he had so many ruddy _feelings_ right in this moment that he could start handing them out.

He had a sudden, and quite world-altering realisation right in this moment, sitting in Bobby Singer's house on Christmas Eve, looking at the woman in front of him. He realised that he had, at some point, somewhere, without him knowing it, given his heart to this woman with the soft smile and light in her eyes.

But if he had given his heart to her..that meant.. No, it couldn't be. Could it? Giving away his heart would mean he actually _had_ a heart to give. And Crowley had believed that part to of him to be lost a long time ago, along with his soul. And a soul did not just come back on its own. It was _impossible_ to regain a soul in such a way. Right? _Right?_

-o-

**Dean**

One present left. The one from Nikki. The one he was most nervous about opening. Glancing at said woman, he saw her talking to Bobby, and they were both with their noses in a book. Which meant he could open the present without her watching him. Perfect.

He placed the present in his lap and looked at it. It was quite big, and somewhat soft. Dean took a deep breath and started to unwrap the present.

It was something black and leathery. The first thing he saw was a card, so he picked it up to read. **_This is not for replacing the one you have. Nothing can replace that one. But I think you deserve one that is actually yours. Merry Christmas, Dean._**

He frowned in confusion at first, but then he lifted the thing out of the last pieces of wrapper. His heart stopped for a moment when he realised what it was. A leather jacket. Pretty much the coolest leather jacket he had ever seen. His breath hitched when he suddenly understood what she was referring to in the card. Oh.. His father's jacket. Nikki thought he deserved one that was _his. _In _addition _to the one he had. Nikki had realised the importance of that jacket, and what it meant to him. And that made him feel..he didn't know.

Dean felt so overwhelmed that he put away the jacket, not handling being so emotional in front of all these people. He would thank her later, he decided. Alone.

-o-

**Crowley**

He was snapped out of his thoughts from Jenny's voice as she spoke to him like a life-altering event had not just taken place. He just looked disbelievingly at her, and she gave him a confused look. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, my dear. What were you saying?"

She cocked her head at him and looked curiously at him for a moment before shrugging. "I was saying that you are quite capable of making a girl feel inadequate. I did get you a present as well, you know, but now it just feels silly. _I_ feel silly."

Crowley had not even considered the fact that perhaps she would buy him a present. And now she was feeling silly? Giving her a soft smile, he was all soft smiles today it seemed, he placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head so she would look at him. "You, my dearest, are most certainly not silly or inadequate. Not in a thousand years." His voice came out in a whisper when he spoke next. "You are perfect, just the way you are, love."

She looked at him with wide eyes, and he could see a quite visible blush on her cheeks. She shook her head. "Crowley, stop it. You are going to make me cry. I mean it."

He gave her an amused smile. "Ah, emotional humans. So frail. But very well, love."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, anyway, here is your present, inadequate or not." She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Crowley."

Crowley looked at the present she was holding out to him. She could have wrapped a rock and he would have been happy about it. A rock would make a nice bookstand, no? Anything would be an upgrade from what he was used to, considering he had not gotten a Christmas present for at least two hundred years.

He unwrapped the present to find a small box, and he hesitated for a moment before removing the lid. He noticed Jenny fidget when he opened it.

Cufflinks. Small, silver cufflinks with golden crowns and small red stones inside.

She instantly interrupted him when he opened his mouth. "Although I was pretty sure that demons are not affected by silver, I wanted to be sure, so it's white gold. And regular gold, as you can see. Um, and those are most definitely not rubies. It's red garnet. They, uh, are from my earrings, the ones I was wearing the day I arrived here." He just looked disbelievingly at her, making her look away. "I know. It's stupid. I just wanted to give you something that is _mine, _ you know, from where I came from."

Crowley didn't hesitate this time. He took her hand, and in a flash they were sitting on the floor in her room. He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her before he kissed her.

He didn't care anymore. He didn't care about the fact that maybe he was regaining his humanity, or that he was completely _falling in love. _With a _human_.

The only thing that mattered to him right now was said human and that his hands were entangled in her hair, and that he was _kissing_ her.

What mattered was the fact that her hands were entangled in his hair as well, and her small sighs, and the fact that she was kissing him _back_. Without mistletoes, or because she was thankful for a present.

She was kissing him back because.. Because it felt _right_ . At least that was what he hoped.

After a thousand years, or perhaps two minutes, Crowley pulled back and looked at her. She just stared at him with an awestruck expression, and he realised she was doing the thing again, where she just stopped breathing.

He gazed softly at her and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "Breathe, love. Just breathe."


	23. I Learned That From The Pizza Man

_I can't tell you how happy I am about the reviews! You are the best! _

_I hope you'll be happy to know that I have finished writing this fiction, (still needs editing, though) and I am currently writing a sequel! Even better; the sequel is almost finished as well! (I think xD)_

_Anyway, on with the story! And as always; I own nothing you recognise!_

**Dean**

Dean could see confusion flicker over her face, but it was gone before he could be sure. They were just making dinner together, working side by side, in comfortable silence. Expect for small comments like "That's not how you stir the sauce" or "How did you manage to fuck up something as easy as boiling potatoes?"

Why was she confused? Had something happened earlier when she talked to Castiel? "Are you ok, Nikki?" He looked at her, trying to figure her out.

"Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?" She couldn't meet his eyes, and Dean saw her hesitate for a moment.

He felt a twinge in his stomach, telling him that something was wrong. "What is it, what's going on?" He furrowed his eyebrows, getting more and more concerned. "Nikki?"

She was about to say something, when the smell of something burning on the stove made her jump around, throwing the now ruined dinner in the garbage. "I guess we're having take-out tonight." She said, before fleeing the kitchen.

"Nikki, come back here! Right now!" Before he could do anything, he heard a flutter of wings and turned around.

At the same time, Jenny entered the kitchen sniffing the air. "What happened to dinner?"

Dean overheard her, giving Castiel a stern look. "What happened today, Cas? I thought you and Nikki were exchanging notes, or something. Writing poems and giggles or whatever?"

"We didn't write poems. I don't have that in my assignment", Castiel said, frowning.

Dean was about to shout something in frustration when Jenny interrupted, asking what this was all about. "What is going on? I just saw Nikki going outside, dinner is apparently not happening, and now.." She sighed, taking a deep breath, and continued:" How about we sit down and you guys fill me in on what I'm sensing is somewhat bigger than burned dinner?"

Dean was worried, something was off with Nikki. He didn't like being worried, and still that was all he seemed to do lately. Jenny sat down on a chair at the kitchen table. Dean stepped closer to Castiel, staring at him. "Cas, come on, did something happen today? If you managed to upset Nikki somehow, or..or maybe with your strange way of just saying some things, maybe she misunderstood something? What did you tell her, Cas?" Dean could see Jenny taking a deep breath, looking straight at him. He could feel himself calming down a little; he drew a deep breath, hating the feeling of not knowing. But if there was something he did trust, it was his gut telling him this was about more than just PMS or whatever girls stormed off for.

"I just told her that her grace came from Michael. And the best way to use Michael's sword to kill Raphael, is for her to be the one wielding it."

Jenny stood up, looking at Dean. "I'll go talk to her."

-o-

**Jenny**

"Nikki?" Jenny found Nikki sitting on her gloves on the front porch. "Castiel told me about the thing with your grace and Michael's angel-blade."

"Yeah...no..I don't know. What am I supposed to do, jenny? I can't be the one to use the sword?! I mean, I'm not...I can't do that! God, I'm freaking out!" Nikki shrugged, looking at Jenny with scared eyes.

Jenny sat down next to her, trying to figure out what to say. "Just breathe, Nikki. I'm sure that there is more information on this, Castiel has to know more, right? And bobby will find more answers in all of the books he stores everywhere." She smiled, trying to get through the panic Nikki seemed to have. "It will be ok, I promise." She looked at Nikki, trying to reassure her that this wasn't all bad. She could see the wheels in Nikki's head turn, and stroke Nikki's back. "Come on, let's go inside. Stop panicking, we will figure it out."

She could almost feel Nikki relax, the panic seemed to dissolve. "Calming effect, huh? Thank you, Jenny, for being you." They shared a smile before Nikki said; "I soo needed some calming down. I've been panicking over this all day. I'm still not over the panic-I-need-an-adult-feeling, but still."

Jenny giggled, thinking that they really needed to find some answers. She hoped Castiel could fill in the blank spots. She looked over at Nikki, who sat there looking at the sky. It seemed like she felt better, still bewildered, but calmer. Jenny hoped she had managed to hide some of her own worries about the whole thing.

She stood up, feeling her legs had gone numb from the cold. "Jenny, I can't fight, like hunter fight. I'm not ready"

Jenny almost rolled her eyes, looking at Nikki. She smiled saying: "Can we at least go inside talking about this?"

After speaking with Nikki and spending some more time reassuring her that they had time to figure out what exactly this information meant, she went inside the house again. She had tried to get Nikki to go inside as well. But she gave up, Nikki was cold from sitting outside for so long, but she also was stubborn. Jenny shook her head, knowing that Nikki would cave pretty soon. Shaken or not, Nikki would come inside so they could talk to Bobby and Castiel about the whole Grace and Michael's blade situation. She made herself a cup of tea, and sat down in a kitchen chair. Castiel was nowhere to be seen, and she could hear dean talking to Sam in the library.

She heard Nikki come through the front door, stomping her shoes to get the snow off. Nikki entered the kitchen, looking at Jenny, smiling, saying: "I need coffee. With something alcohol in it." She grinned. "And Castiel with information"

-o-

**Sam**

The girls sat on the couch in the library, asking Castiel questions about the angel-blade, why Nikki had some of Michael's grace and of it had to be Nikki who used the blade on Raphael. Sam looked at dean, noting that he was as set on finding out as much as possible about the new information. He had noticed how much Dean looked after the girls, and that he really cared about them. Sam did too; of course, they were smart, fast learners and kind of funny to be around.

But he hadn't known them as long as dean and bobby. He knew he had been around them as long as the other guys, but he just couldn't remember it. He swallowed the feeling of fear, of what he, without soul, had done during the time his soul was in the cage with Michael and Lucifer. He couldn't remember anything. Dean had told him the little he knew, and filled him in on what they had done since the girls arrived, but it wasn't the same as remembering.

Shaking those thoughts of, he heard Castiel tell them about the time Michael had gone to the other universe, through the window. He had been with one of the ancestors of Nikki. And the small piece of grace he had left there, it was supposed to bloom when the right soul arrived, strong enough to have his grace entwined with itself.

"Well, that was.. How is that even possible?", he heard Dean ask.

He saw Castiel turn to Dean, stepping into his personal space, saying: "I don't know, I have never heard of it before. I must say I was slightly alarmed when I learned that this could be done. But I don't question it, because he was Michael, the archangel. The first of his kind and our Father must have made this possible for some reason. Although I don't think He meant Michael to do something like this."

"Cas, a window to a friggin other universe? We are TV-entertainment over there. What the hell, dude? And now Nikki has to be the one to pull this shit of?"

Sam could see his brother getting more and more upset, so he interrupted the two by saying that they would train more. "We will work on your fighting skills, Nikki. You can do this. We don't know anything on when or how, so we have time. Right, guys?"

He looked at Jenny, who suddenly straightened her back, smiling to herself. Then they all heard a familiar voice saying:" Hello boy and girls"

_Great,_ Sam thought, _Crowley is here._

-o-

**Nikki**

Getting all this information, it was all too much. Trying to process everything, she sat back on the couch, she could feel Jenny's mood lighten up. A lot. Crowley was standing in the doorway, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. For what, Nikki didn't know. She had a feeling it was because Jenny was sitting next to her, blushing. Nikki had to admit, the kiss on Christmas Eve had been quite a kiss.

She had no problem understanding why Jenny was almost swooning on the couch. She had been in deep-deep love of a fictional character named Crowley, who was now, so very real. And that kiss, wow..

They looked good together; he lightened up, and relaxed a bit more around Jenny. Nikki had even heard him laugh, several times. Yes, he was very much The King of Hell, but still there were something different about the way he approached things lately. And Nikki had a pretty good idea of why The King of Hell had changed.

She was happy for her friend, but somewhat worried too. But she knew jenny could take care of herself, and Nikki smiled, thinking about Crowley and how he had tagged along with getting a Christmas tree. If that didn't tell her that Jenny had Crowley wrapped around her little finger then she didn't know.

Nikki could feel Castiel's eyes on her, so she stood up, looked at him and said:" I'm ok, promise. Just need to process all of the information."

"I'm sorry if my way of telling you was.. Dean has told me, on other occasions, that I sometimes come on to strong. I regret that, if that was the case"

She had to laugh, the whole situation was so surreal. She had a hard time wrapping her mind around it all. They lived here now, this was their life. She had grace, for Christ sake! Jenny could boss around the hell hounds! Wow! Starting to have a small panic-laughing fit, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Jenny just squeezed her shoulder; Nikki drew a deep breath and smiled at her. "I'm alright; I am just going to rest for a while. I think my brain will explode."

"That's impossible," Castiel started, but Dean interrupted him sighing:" matter of speech, Cas."

She looked at Dean; she just wanted to wanted to get some rest. He watched her with worried eyes, they just stared at each other and without thinking, and she reached over to him and squeezed his arm before she went upstairs.

Later that night, she jolted awake, having had a weird dream about her grandmother. She went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror after washing her face. "I have grace, suck it up. It will all be ok." She shook her head, and combed her hair before heading downstairs to get something to eat. After the dinner got burned, Jenny had made everyone some sandwiches. Nikki was hungry now, though.. And it was Christmas Day, and they had to get some real dinner.

Nikki found a note in the kitchen from Jenny, saying she and Crowley was at the store, buying Christmas Day dinner, **_because Christmas!_** as Jenny put it. Nikki smiled, wondering where the rest of the guys were.

She decided to wait until the others came back with food, so she went into the living room. Or she tried to, but couldn't move. Almost panicking, she tried to get passed whatever that was stopping her. Suddenly she understood why she was stuck.

She closed her eyes, damning Crowley to hell and back, no pun intended. "Fuck,fucketi-fuck!" She looked up, seeing the mistletoe. "Guys? Hello? Need a little help here!" All she got in return was silence. She tried again. "Dean? Sam? Come on! Bobby?" Frustrated she yelled: "Come on, this isn't funny! Damn you, Crowley! Hello? Anybody?" She gave up, sat down on the floor, hoping someone could come home. _Wow, this is really embarrassing_, she thought.

After ten minutes she was ready to give up, wanting to scream. Then she thought: _Wait..Castiel_ _said he could hear me when I thought of him_. She stood up and closed her eyes.

She was so deep in concentration, so when the angel in her thoughts actually arrived, her eyes shot up in surprise. "You came! You heard me?"

"Yes, why did you call on me?" Castiel asked.

"Yes, wow, um, I need help." Nikki cleared her throat, looking at Castiel. "Do you know where Dean is? Or Sam? Maybe Bobby?"

"Why do you need me to tell you? You don't seem to need help?" Castiel said. "Why can't you go look for them yourself?".

"Well, the thing is, that Crowley has set up this mistletoe thing, so that if anyone steps under it, like I have, you can't get out unless someone, um." She felt her cheeks redden, and waited for Castiel to catch up.

"I know how the mistletoe is supposed to work. And Crowley has placed some sort of spell on it." He said. There was an awkward silence before Castiel changed his posture, straightening up.

"Um, Castiel?", Nikki started.

But then Castiel strode forward, almost knocked Nikki backwards. She felt the wall behind her, but the next thing she knew was Castiel's lips on hers. His hand landed on the side of her waist, the other one went up in her hair. _Wow, just wow_, Nikki thought, feeling surprisingly soft lips against her own. The kiss was soft, but it had shades of firmness in there as well. That angel of The Lord could really kiss! She started to retreat from his grip, feeling as if she did something she shouldn't be doing.

At that moment she heard Dean yell: "Dude, what the hell?!"

Castiel turned to Dean, exclaiming: "I learned that from the pizza-man."

Nikki broke down in a fit of laughter, because she recognized the reference. While Castiel explained what had just happened, in a very matter-of-factly voice, she got her laughter under control and sat down in the sofa. Away from the mistletoe.

Dean looked at her, she looked back. He was angry, she could tell. "He only did it because nobody else could hear me, and my phone was upstairs so I couldn't call you guys. I asked him to get down here, so he could get one of you but then he just..I just..he was just helping, and why am I explaining myself? Don't be mad, ok, I'm out of the mistletoe trap, it was just a small kiss," She rambled.

"So you kissed? That was no small kiss, Nikki. He had you pinned up against the wall, goddammit!" Dean said in a low voice.

Nikki could see her speech did nothing to help her, so she turned to Castiel. "Thank you for, ehm, helping a gal out." Her eyes flickered over to Dean who was scowling at them before rushing outside again. "And why are you so mad?", she yelled after him. When she turned back to Castiel, he was gone.

Standing alone in the living room, she shook her head and said "So that just happened. I got kissed by an angel of The Lord." She felt bad for some reason, almost sad. And that was so frustrating! _And now Dean is pissed. Aaaaaargh, I need food_, she thought. And she needed her best friend.

-o-

**Jenny**

They had come back from grocery shopping just in time to see Dean stomp off to the garage. She looked at Crowley but he just shook his head. "Let's get the food inside, love" he said taking the bags from the back of Bobby's truck.

Jenny still couldn't believe she managed to convince both Bobby and Crowley to take the car, and not zap anywhere. This almost felt normal, but she wasn't fooled. Nothing was normal, but she was surprisingly ok with the whole situation. And it seemed like everyone was adapting somehow.

She saw Nikki on her way to her room, asking Crowley to wait in the kitchen. "What am I now, a maid?" she heard him mutter but he waited and that was the point. She smiled to herself going up the stairs. She found Nikki in her room.

"What's wrong?" Jenny was suddenly worried.

Nikki sat down on her bed, shaking her head. "Where do I begin? Let's see, I got stuck under the damned mistletoe! Can you please ask Crowley to take that mistletoe down, at least remove the spell?" Jenny narrowed her eyes, noticing the blush in Nikki's cheeks, her lips was a bit more red than normal and she looked upset. "And yeah, by the way, Castiel was the one to save me from the mistletoe spell, so he, well, kind of kissed me"

Jenny almost dropped her jaw, saying "What? You kissed Castiel? Really? I feel I need info, do tell"

Nikki giggled a bit, "I got kissed by an angel of The Lord! One word: wow" Jenny could feel Nikki's unease and suddenly realised that although they had giggled and talked about the show while watching it, it was different now. They lived with them, had gotten to know the guys. She'd been kissed by The King of Hell, for crying out loud! And now Nikki had actually got kissed by Castiel!

Nikki continued: "But it also felt wrong. And then Dean came in, started shouting then Castiel was gone and I just..I'm so confused."

Jenny hugged her best friend, understanding what Nikki couldn't at the moment. Nikki's stomach suddenly growled, and they smiled. "Let's get something to eat, shall we? I got The King of Hell waiting in the kitchen"

They went down to the kitchen, making an almost perfect Christmas Day dinner. Jenny could see Nikki was a bit upset, throwing glances at Dean with confusion in her eyes. The eldest Winchester was not in the best mood, shooting glares in Nikki's direction. And when Nikki looked at him, he looked away, acting as nothing had happened. Jenny shook her head, wondering if they would ever work this out. Crowley had somehow gotten bits and pieces out of what had happened, and took every opportunity to ask Dean why he was so angry. Like Crowley said; it was Christmas Day after all, and they had food and good company in these lovely ladies.

Besides the whole moping Dean and upset Nikki, they spent the evening talking and eating. Just celebrating Christmas. All in all it was a good day.


	24. What The Hell Is Your Problem!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, honestly. At least nothing you recognise. _

**Jenny**

So, Nikki had to wield the blade, huh? That was.. Well, that was just insane, was it not? Everything was insane. The whole world was mental.

Sam and Bobby was in town, Nikki was in the library reading, and Dean was somewhere outside, so the house was quiet and Jenny decided to watch a movie.

She was snuggled comfortably under the blankets in her bed, with popcorn and candy when she felt another presence in her room. She didn't even turn to look at him as he zapped in, she just held up a finger. "You have two options. One; you leave. Two; you join me."

Crowley didn't leave. He came over and sat down on the edge of the bed, making her raise her eyebrows at him as she lifted the blanket and gestured towards the empty space next to her. "Like I said; join me. No shoes, no coat. And you will be eating popcorn. The twizzlers are optional. The rest is not."

To her astonishment, the demon chuckled as he removed his shoes and coat before climbing into bed with her. Jenny giggled with genuine joy as he grabbed an optional twizzler and raised an eyebrow at her. "You are particularly bossy today, love."

She grinned at him. "That's what you get for interrupting my precious TV-time. Deal with it." She offered him popcorn and when he lifted an eyebrow at her, she rolled her eyes. "It's not salted, don't worry."

"Do you usually eat unsalted popcorn?"

"No."

"So why do you have unsalted popcorn?"

She didn't think before she answered. "Because I was hoping you would come."

Her cheeks blushed as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Did you, now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. I did. And I obviously have no filter today. So be nice."

He threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth with a smile. "I like you without a filter."

Jenny giggled. "Famous last words."

-o-

A little while later, Jenny thought she heard yelling from downstairs, but then everything went silent for a while before she could hear the front door slam shut with such a force that the whole house almost shook from it. She gave Crowley a confused look. "Wait here, will you? I need to go investigate what the hell is going on.

She headed downstairs, but found no one until she stepped into the library to find Nikki standing there completely frozen on spot. "Nikki? What is going on? What's wrong?"

-o-

**Nikki – A few minutes earlier**

The book Bobby had given her was fascinating, and Nikki had been reading non-stop for at least an hour.

She was startled out of her book-bliss when Dean suddenly entered the room. He froze and stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, obviously just as surprised to see her as she was him.

She could see his jaw twitch as his expression darkened and he turned away from her, heading for a bookshelf. "I just need to find a book."

She looked uncertainty at him. "Uh, okay."

The silence that filled the room was tense, and Nikki couldn't focus on the book at all. She was startled again, when Dean spun around and gave her an angry look. "Oh _god, _could you be more _annoying_ with that friggin gum?!"

Nikki just stared in complete disbelief at him for a moment before she felt the anger rise in her. She'd had enough. She got up and put the book on the desk before taking out her gum, throwing it with an angry motion in the trash can. "Well, I'm _sorry _if my chewing _annoys _you so much! I will try to chew my gum in a less _offensive_ way in the future!"

Nikki couldn't believe her eyes when Dean crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her "What the hell is your problem?!"

Nikki couldn't believe what she was hearing. What the hell was _her _problem? She stepped out on the floor to face him. "What the hell is _my _problem?! I have been chewing gum around you for _months_ now, and suddenly it bothers you so much? I am not the one with the problem, Dean! I am not the one acting like an irrational _asshole_ to the point where I yell at Bobby because he forgot to buy butter. _Butter,_ Dean, honestly!" She pointed at him. "What the hell is **_your _**problem?!"

Looking at Dean, she was sure he was about to explode with fury. Nikki didn't care. She'd had it. She was done. So done. Dean uncrossed his arms, and she could see his nostrils flare from rage, and his hands turn into fists as he stared at her. He opened his mouth, and she braced for what was coming.

But he didn't yell. He didn't do any of the things she had braced for. She had a moment of complete and utter confusion when Dean growled and closed the distance between them with two harsh steps. Nikki fleetingly wondered if he was going to attack her when his hands reached for her, because with the level of rage he was in at the moment, she couldn't think of any other reason. Her confusion turned to shock in the next moment when Dean literally _grabbed_ her face, pulling her in.

His lips found hers with such desperate force that her mind had a surreal moment where all she could think was; _how can a kiss be so brutal, but his lips still so soft? _

But then, Nikki couldn't think anymore. She couldn't breathe anymore. Her mind disconnected, and her instincts took over when Dean moved his hand to the back of her head and almost painfully entangled it in her hair. Her body acted on its own accord as her hands went up to grasp on to Dean's hair, and her lips parted automatically when she felt his tongue brush her lips.

The sound that came from Dean when their tongues met was almost animalistic, and the vibrations it made in his chest went straight to the core of Nikki's being. It was like the vibrations from that sound echoed in her blood, and she felt like her body was humming, like her soul was singing.

Dean's hand didn't leave her body for a second, and even with the layer of clothes it left a trail of fire on her skin as he moved it from her cheek, down her side and around her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

Nothing had ever felt more _right,_ she had never felt more _complete_ than in that moment, when their bodies connected.

Dean made another almost primal sound that vibrated in her, lighting every nerve in her body on fire, and a wave of desire run through her. Nikki couldn't help the moan that came from her, but she instantly regretted it when Dean froze. It was like the sound woke him up, and he realised what he was doing. Before she could do anything to stop him, he recoiled and stepped back from her with wide eyes.

Dean didn't say anything. He just stared at her for a second, with an expression filled with desperation, shock, and almost dread before turning away from her and walking out of the room.

Nikki was frozen on spot, unable to move, unable to think. She just stood there, paralyzed from shock, from disbelief, trying to fight off the completely irrational, but none the less all-consuming feeling of loss that threatened to overwhelm her.

The loss of finally being whole. Of being complete.


	25. What's The Non-Emergency?

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise! _

_-o-_

**Nikki**

She got out of the bathroom, saying goodnight to Sam as he came up the stairs. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. She knew he had questions about why things were so weird between her and his brother. But she couldn't talk about it, at least not with him. And also because there was nothing to talk about.

Nikki closed her bedroom door, leaning against it. She was starting to get really frustrated with how things were between her and Dean at the moment. It was weird, everything was weird. And it had impact on the rest of the dynamics in the house.

They had not talked about it, except from Dean saying it was just a slip and she had hurriedly agreed. Mostly because Dean seemed so uncomfortable and Nikki didn't want to make a fool out of her self-asking why he had kissed her.

No one knew about what had happened two days ago except for Jenny, of course. She had been the one to find her, after all. But to see something was off, it wasn't that hard to notice. She knew Sam had questioned Dean, but he didn't talk. She had overheard Bobby asking Jenny, but she hadn't said anything either.

Nikki drew a breath when the memory of Deans lips against hers, flooded through her mind. Kissing him had just felt….right. They had crossed the line and could never go back to just being friends. Even if they called it a slip she would never forget how kissing him made her feel. Lately they pretended to be just friends. Of course they were friends, but after the angry, almost desperate kiss two days ago, they had this weird thing going on. She never could relax when he was close to her, or even in the same room.

It had gotten better, though, she thought. When they spoke it was awkward, at best. Not to speak of when he had sat down next to her on the couch earlier that night. She sighed, putting on her AC/DC t-shirt she used to sleep in. All she could think about as she went to bed was his green eyes that lit her skin on fire just by looking at her. Or when his voice sent shivers down her spine every time he said her name. As time had passed after the kiss, they had managed to get more back on track, though. But it was still weird, and she didn't like it.

-o-

**Jenny**

The tension in the house was almost exhausting. The way Dean and Nikki kept gravitating around each other was sucking everyone else in, and as a result everyone was on edge. And tomorrow was New Year's Eve. Jenny hoped the party they were planning would ease the tension somewhat.

She decided to get her mind off things, and went outside to play with her Hellhounds. _Her _Hellhounds. Surreal.

She was instantly greeted by Lucy when she came outside. The dog almost seemed stressed, and Jenny frowned in confusion. "What's wrong, girl?" Lucy tugged her sleeve, and Jenny followed.

"Oh my god." Jenny's voice came out in a whisper when she saw what Lucy wanted to show her. A tiny Hellhound. "Oh my god, Lucy, you're a mum!"

Lucy nudged the tiny creature towards Jenny. She picked up the little Hellpuppy, resulting in a happy yap. Lucy sat down, and Jenny looked at her. "How does this work? Do you want me to take care of him?" This resulted in a happy bark from Lucy, and Jenny smiled at her. "Very well. I promise I will take good care of him."

-o-

Jenny sat in her room with the Hellpuppy, and wondered what to do. What did a Hellpuppy need? She had no idea, but perhaps The King of Hell had. "Crowley? Could you stop by, when you get the time? It's no emergency, so take your time." Barely a minute passed before he was there, and she shook her head with a smile. "I would think The King of Hell to have. well, a _Hell _to rule? Are you never busy?"

He cocked his head at her. "I am never too busy for _you_ , love. What's the non-emergency?"

Jenny pointed to the corner where her new Hellpuppy was snoozing on a blanket. "We have an addition to the family."

Crowley turned to look, and gave a disbelieving laugh. "I don't even know why I am surprised. I should have expected this to happen."

Jenny narrowed her eyebrows. "But you _are_ surprised? Why?"

He chuckled. "Love, you have no idea of how rare this is. It's Lucy's, I gather?" Jenny nodded, and Crowley raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, the last time this happened was..let me think..hundred and four years ago."

Jenny stared at him. "Seriously? So why now?"

Crowley shrugged. "Not sure, to be honest. It's so rare that no one really knows much about it."

Jenny looked at the Hellpuppy. "So what do I do now? Is there a special Hellpuppy-food I need to buy? Does he need a Hellpuppy-house?"

Crowley laughed. "Not at all. He _can_ eat, but does not _need_ to. They are _Hellhounds,_ love. They are used to _Hell._ They can take care of themselves even as puppies." He paused for a moment. "A Hellhound raised by a caring, happy human. What is the world coming to?"

-o-

Jenny was completely lost in thought after Crowley left. He had kissed her. Again. Nothing earth-shattering, just a small, soft kiss, and a 'I'll see you later, love' before vanishing the next second.

What was going on between them? Was this the beginning of a relationship? What did _he_ think this was? They had not _talked_ about..well, _anything_, when she thought about it. What was she going to do? Talk to him? She thought about it for a moment, and no matter how she pictured the situation, it just felt surreal and ridiculous. Asking The King of Hell about his _feelings?_ Yeah, absurd. Jenny had no idea what to do.

Jenny sighed. "Come on, Ragnaros, let's go for a walk." The happy bark from the puppy lightened her mood, to the point where she was giggling from his excitement when putting on her coat.

She backed out the door, giggling and clapping her hands at the puppy. "Good boy, Ragnaros! You want to play? Come on!" She had named the Hellpuppy after her favourite boss in World of Warcraft, which happened to be a badass demon made of fire, and the place he could be found in the game was filled with lava and fire, patrolled by Corehounds. Corehounds being the World of Warcraft equivalent to Hellhounds. Jenny found the name suitable.

"That's cheating, boy! No zapping! You have to _run_ if you want to catch me!" She was running away from Ragnaros in a fit of laughter, and squealed when she suddenly slammed into something. The something toppled over, and a moment later she found herself almost lying on top of a woman. "Oh my god! I am _so_ sorry!" Taking a closer look, she recognised the woman. "Sheriff Mills! Oh, awesome! I love you on the show!"

Jenny got up and held out a hand to help the sheriff up. Brushing off her clothes, sheriff Mills looked at her, and Jenny was somewhat impressed with how calm she looked. "So, it's true then. We are a television-show in a parallel universe. Well, that's just..completely insane." The sheriff held out a hand and Jenny took it. "Jody Mills. Bobby told me about his new houseguests. Nice to finally meet you."

Jenny gave her a sheepish smile. "Uh, Jenny Thalassian. Nice to meet you too. And, uh, sorry for the whole tackling you to the ground-thing."

Jody smiled. "No problem." She raised an eyebrow. "Although, what in the world were you doing? A few years ago I would have had you admitted to a psychiatric ward from seeing something like that. But that was before meeting Bobby. Now, I instantly assume there is a perfectly logical explanation." She rolled her eyes. "Scratch that. I assume there is a perfectly _insane_ explanation, which will once again alter my view on the world."

Jenny laughed and thought for a moment before retrieving the holy-fire-glasses from her pocket, holding them out to the sheriff. "Before you put them on, let me just say one thing. They are not dangerous. I promise." Jody looked curiously at the glasses, and Jenny continued. "Uh, put these on, and you can meet my Hellhounds."

-o-

Sheriff Jody Mills was actually sitting on the ground with her arms full of Ragnaros when Bobby came out of the house. He stopped for a moment before realising what was going on, and Jenny was surprised to see him pull a pair of glasses from his front pocket. It seemed Growley was growing on the gruff man, to the point where he carried holy-fire-glasses with him at all times.

Jody laughed when she saw Bobby. "Hey Bobby!"

Bobby smiled back at Jody, and Jenny suddenly remembered the chemistry between the hunter and the sheriff. Oh, yes. This was _so_ happening. Making a quick decision, she turned to Jody. "We are having a New Year's Eve party tomorrow, you should come!"

-o-

Jody had done some digging, and could inform them that Thomas Miller was out of town, and wouldn't return until the second of January at the earliest. So they had decided to wait until he returned before continuing the 'Search for The Holy Blade' quest.

Sheriff Jody Mills had also accepted the party-invitation, to Jenny's excitement.

Jenny snapped out of her chain of thoughts. Huh. Crowley was in the house. Or, no, not the house. But he was here somewhere.

She found him in the garage. With Sam and Dean. Entering said garage, she was met with three identical expressions. Had she just busted them in something? The _three_ of them together? Placing her hands on her hips, she cocked her head at them. "And what exactly are you doing?" She got three murmurs of 'nothing', and raised an eyebrow at them. "Honestly? So the aura of shit-we-are-so-busted that surrounds you is just for show?"

She tried to step closer, but Crowley stepped forward, blocking her path. "Now, love, don't ruin the surprise. You'll just have to be patient like the rest."

-o-

Jenny still had no idea what they were planning when she went to bed that night.


	26. Atrocious Turkey

_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise!_

**Dean**

He woke up with a frown. Where was he? Definitely not the couch, it was a bed. The bed was soft; it smelled nice, like really nice. Like fabric softener and a faint smell of a woman's perfume. Nikki's bed.

He turned around. She was laying with her back turned to him, hair spread out on the pillow next to him. The sheet had slid down to her waist; he could see her legs had been tangled in the sheets. And what legs it was. Those shorts had to be forbidden in at least three states, of that he was sure.

He leaned up on his elbow, raising an eyebrow, enjoying the view. He let his eyes follow the lines going from her shoulder, sliding down to a curve, before going upwards to her hips. And those legs, wow. He was happy because things were starting to get back to normal from being awkward after the kiss that had happened a few days ago. And now he woke up in her room, but he hoped things wouldn't get weird again.

Suddenly she jolted awake, sitting on the bed. With big eyes she looked over at him, and he smirked. She tried to get up, but then she lost balance because of the sheets that was still twisted around her legs. And with a "Wooops!" she landed on the floor with a bang.

He leaned over, trying not to laugh. And then she hopped up, looked at him and he could see she was starting to recall last night. She was breath-taking, although he would never admit to that.

-o-

**Nikki**

Nothing had happened. He had come in her room, having a very vague reason. Something about if she'd seen his phone charger. When she looked at him, she just smiled a teasing smile. She knew he had heard the TV in her room (So what if she had turned the volume up, so that he would notice? He didn't need to know that, right?) Scooting over, making room for him she had laughed at him. A sheepish smile was all she got before he snagged all the popcorn, looking at the TV-screen.

He had come to her room sometimes now, always when she was watching movies. Even when she was watching the so called "chick-flick movies". He bitched about it after the movies were done, of course, but she thought he liked it in her room. "So much more comfy here then on that old couch" he used to say when she told him that he could leave if he didn't like the choice of movie.

Nikki was overjoyed that things had gotten a bit less awkward then it had been after their first kiss. _Wait, first kiss? Did she think there would be more?_ she thought.

So, nothing had happened. But why was he still here, the next morning? They had to have fallen to sleep. It was late when Nikki had retreated to her room last night, and dean hadn't showed up before she had showered and was 10 minutes into "Pirates of the Caribbean" It had been nice, just relaxing and doing nothing together.

She felt a slight panic, but decided to relax. They had just slept, although memories of a warm body behind her and an arm around her waist drifted through her mind. _Wow,_ she thought. _He's a cuddler. Who would have thought?_

Suddenly she was very aware of her t-shirt and shorts, mixed with sheets and sleepy eyes and messy hair. She looked at him lying across her bed, grinning. It made her mind go to very heated places, and she yelped in embarrassment.

"Good morning to you to. It was great and all, but I have to go find Sam." When he stood up, she took a step backwards causing her to almost fall over again. She could hear him chuckle. "I'll see you downstairs, and I will make you some coffee so you can start coordinate right again" She watched him exit her bedroom in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Wow, I slept in the same bed as Dean Winchester. That is so not good for my blood pressure. "She closed the door, untangled from the sheets and made a little crazy dance while getting ready for a shower. This was going to be a good day.

Then she stopped in her tracks, remembering that it was New Year's Eve. "Coffee. I need coffee. And then I have to talk with Jenny. TURKEY!"

-o-

She had managed to get a cup of coffee, but all she got out of her friend was almost being snapped at for not understanding the importance of the turkey, so Nikki had hastily retreated to her room. She was now sitting on her bed, folding clothes and listening to one of her spotify-lists. She was now listening to one her favorite Norwegian singers, Christel Alsos singing her song called Found.

She'd taken a day off. Rest-day Sam called it. She didn't object on that. This was a good day. She was going to help Jenny move her stuff in the attic, but that wasn't until later.

She was so happy for Jenny, the attic was perfect for her. She would have room for all the computer-stuff she needed and also room for her puppy. It was a hellhound, of course.

Nikki had to laugh, Jenny had really become the Queen of the hellhounds. Scary bastards, but Nikki had to admit it was some charm in them as well. Although she needed glasses to see them. And they made her feel safer here as well. Good thing they were on their side, she wouldn't like to have them turned against her.

Suddenly she heard a flutter right by her bed, and made a surprised sound. "I am truly sorry if I startled you" Castiel stood right by her bed, actually he was almost standing on her foot.

"Castiel, hi! Where have you been? I was starting to think you've abandoned us," she said, smiling. She tried to stand up but he was almost hovering over her.

"I'm sorry, Dean told me about personal space," Castiel said, taking a step back.

"No worries, I'm not Dean. But anyway, you left so abruptly last time we...um..talked." She stood up and smiled.

"Yes, I understood that my presence was no longer required. And Dean seemed to be upset, so when you started to yell at each other I tried to give you what humans call space. Although, that's not accurate." She felt sorry for Castiel, he was trying so hard to understand human interactions.

"Yes, well we had a little disagreement. He misunderstood something and well, he is Dean," she said, trying to figure out how to explain this as simple as she could. "You didn't do anything wrong, Castiel. You helped me out when nobody else was around. Although it was a little surprising, you helped me when I was stuck under that mistletoe. So, thanks." She felt her cheeks get warm, hoping he would let the subject go.

"I don't think Dean liked that I helped you. That is why he got so upset, wasn't it?," he asked, cocking his head.

Nikki had to smile, he was so damned cute! She knew he was all powerful Angel of The Lord, but when he cocked that head of his he was adorable. And she really didn't want to talk about Dean with Castiel. It was confusing enough as it was. "Yeah, kind of. It's complicated, sweetie. Don't worry about it, please. He's gotten over it now, he is not angry anymore. My guess is that if you talk to him, you'll see that he is back to normal," she said, starting to get a bit desperate to change the subject. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"My name is Castiel, why do you call me sweetie?" he asked. She sighed, surprised at herself for calling an angel of The Lord 'sweetie'. She hadn't even noticed. "It's an endearment. People can give each other nick names if they like the other person. Like 'dear' or 'love', but that's usually exchanged in a romantic relationship. I call you sweetie, because I'd like to consider you a friend." And now she just felt stupid.

But he smiled at her, seeming to like the idea. "That seems..nice. I would like to be your friend." Castiel looked at her docking station, walking over to it he said:" I like this music, it's calming. The sounds are not so unlike hymns." He stood there and just looked at the thing that played such beautiful music.

"Castiel? Did you have some reason to come here? Not that I don't like that you're here, but.." She stopped talking, noticing that he seemed a bit worried. "What is it? Do you have something on your mind?," she asked, taking a step towards him forcing him to look at her. When he looked at her she could see he was on the verge to ask her something, so she just looked back.

He retreated his eyes, looking anywhere but at her. "I have taken a great amount of time trying to understand what you showed me the first time we met. It seemed like I would step over the line and make some big mistakes. Opening purgatory was clearly not the best decision. The thought troubles me. Am I that mistaken in my believes? Could I really go against the orders I have from Heaven, rebelling and make a deal with the king of hell? And all those souls I saw in your mind, it seems like nothing I would even consider" He looked terrified and she felt sorry for him.

Trying to make him understand that none of this had happened, that was just what she said. "You haven't done any of that, you are not going to either. Sweetie, you need to understand that it's not going to happen because you won't allow it. You saw what happened, and I think it fills you with dread. Please, Castiel you can't let this weigh you down. It has never happened, nor will it happen"

She wrapped her hands around him without thinking, just wanting to give him reassurance and make him understand. "None of that is important, because it's not going to happen. Alright?" She started to feel a bit stupid, trying to give him a hug but then she felt his arms go around her waist. She smiled over his shoulder. "Thanks for hugging me back, Castiel. It was getting a bit awkward for me."

They both stepped back, and she laughed. Castiel gave her a small smile and said:" I have seen humans do this gesture, I find it intriguing." He looked at her, seeming to be a bit more at ease. "I will do as you say, it has not happened. I will try not to think about it any further." With that he was gone.

-o-

**Jenny**

Jenny wondered how the hell _she _was the one that had ended up doing this. Being responsible for the turkey. _She _was responsible for the friggin turkey that everyone would be eating later that night. _Worst idea __ever, _she thought as she checked on the ruddy bird for the eighth time in fifteen minutes. She had been watching the bloody thing like her life depended on it for the last hour and a half, and was at this point religiously invested in the late bird.

She had her iPad with Martha Stewart's - how to roast a turkey on the counter, and had read through the whole thing so many times that she by now knew it by heart, but still felt like she had no idea what she was doing. _Why _did she mention that she had roasted a turkey before? _Worst idea ever_. This was an ordeal. The bloody turkey was an ordeal.

Checking the turkey for the ninth time, she shook her fist at it. "Bloody bird! I'm glad you're dead!"

"Why are you arguing with the turkey, love?"

Jenny spun around, blushing furiously. "Uh, well, I forgot that I hated cooking for a moment, and ended up being responsible for roasting the infuriating creature."

Crowley stepped towards the oven, bending down to take a look. "Ah, yes, I can see it now, the way it lies there just _waiting_ for a chance to torment you." He cocked his head, looking at the turkey. "I find the left side to be especially provocative. Oh, and that right leg.. Completely out of line."

Jenny growled and smacked him on the shoulder. "Stop being obnoxious, you insufferable demon. You are supposed to be on my side."

He turned to her with a playful smile, and before she knew it, she was trapped between him and the kitchen counter. "Of course I am on your side, love. Atrocious turkey."

He was so close to her that she had to fight to keep her breathing steady as she rolled her eyes at him. "Impossible man." Crowley just gazed at her with a small smile, making her head spin with confused emotions and frustration. She couldn't take it anymore.

Meeting his eyes, she spoke without really thinking. "What do you want from me? What is it that you _want_ from me?"

His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing again, obviously trying to figure out how to answer her. After the longest moment in Jenny's life, he spoke. "What do you want me to want from you?"

Jenny closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Opening them again, she shook her head. "No. I asked _you._ Please, Crowley, no more games. Please don't toy with me."

His expression darkened. "I am not playing games or toying with you, Jenny."

"Then what? _What _are you doing?"

"I.. I am not sure I know."

The next moment, Jenny was once again alone with the atrocious turkey.

-o-

The turkey was finally done, and the guests were starting to arrive, but Jenny was miserable. _Oh God, please don't say I scared him away again. Just please, _ she thought, as she headed upstairs to change.

-o-

**Crowley**

He knew leaving her like that was a rotten thing to do. But he couldn't stay there, looking into those pleading, brown eyes, searching for answers he could not give.

What was it that he wanted from her? Nothing. He wanted nothing _from_ her. He wanted _her._ And it was completely ridiculous. It would never work. She was _human._ Human! And he was The King of Hell! The _King_ of friggin _HELL._ He had to stop this, break it off right now, before it went too far. He had to stop going there, stop going to _her._

The King of Hell was brutally reminded of the fact that some of his humanity had returned in the same second he finished the thought. The pain that engulfed him was so unfamiliar that it left him gasping for air, and his knees almost buckled.

He hated having a heart. Because a heart could break. And Crowley had just gotten a taste of how it felt.

Slumping down in a chair, he put his head in his hands. Who was he trying to fool? He wouldn't be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tried. So what, _what_ could he do? Just give in?

And what then? She would be a target the second someone found out. She would be _hunted._ And someone would most certainly find out. Thinking anything else was just naïve. Being with him would put her in so much danger. Could he do that to her? Could he risk it?

What if she was able to defend herself? She already had the Hellhounds, and she could sense demons. Perhaps her abilities could be strengthened? If he trained her.. Yes..if he trained her, perhaps then she could have a chance.

Perhaps she should have a saying in all this as well? Crowley's breath hitched from the next thought. What if _she_ didn't want _him?_ Maybe she just wanted answers because she did _not_ want this?

It was The King of Hell that went in search of answers this time.


	27. Barry Bangers, Eh?

_In case I caused confusion (this seems legit) by telling you in my last author's note that this story was finished; it's not. I have finished **writing **it, but I haven't actually **posted **the whole thing. :D There is still ten chapters, or so, to go :D I am currently editing this story, but I'm also writing a sequel :D_

_Did that make sense? I hope so. _

_Thank you, lovely people, for favouriting and following my story, writing reviews, and generally being wonderful! Virtual hugs for all!_

_Reviews, as always, make my day! _

_Oh, and then there was the disclaimer; I own nothing you recognise :D_

_Now, on with the story! I hope you like it! :D_

_-o-_

**Jenny**

The atrocious turkey was officially a success, but Jenny didn't really care. Her mind had been in a deadlock ever since Crowley vanished from the kitchen earlier, and celebrating the New Year was suddenly not as important anymore. She wanted Crowley to be a _part_ of her New Year.

Sheriff Jody Mills had brought a group of friends, and a few of Bobby's hunter-friends were here as well. But there was a serious lack of Hellkings.

She was in her room getting her phone, and stepped out in the hallway to see Sheriff Mills. "Oh hey, Jody, looking for anything?"

Jody smiled at her. "The bathroom downstairs was taken and Sam said to use the one upstairs. Is it this one?"

Jenny nodded. "That's the one. Go ahead, I'll see you downstairs."

She stepped past Jody, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. "Something wrong? You seem a little down."

Jenny had a sudden urge to break down and uncontrollably _sob_ on the sheriff, but collected herself and smiled weakly. "Well, I'm just.." She rolled her eyes. "Men. That is what's wrong. I'll live."

The sheriff rolled her eyes and laughed softly. "Oh, believe me, honey; I know exactly what you mean." Patting Jenny on the arm, she smiled. "If you need to talk, you know who to call."

Jenny was on the brink of breaking down again, but managed to smile at Jody and give her a hug. _God,_ she liked this woman. Right in this moment, she _loved_ this woman. Not even the TV-show did this woman justice. "Thank you, Jody. That means a lot, honestly."

-o-

**Nikki**

It had been a busy day, but Nikki and Jenny had managed, from brief conversations throughout the day, to put bits and pieces together. Jenny was completely up to date on the whole I-woke-up-with-Dean-friggin-Winchester situation, and Nikki the same on what-do-you-want-from-me-Crowley ordeal.

She could see that Jenny was miserable, but Nikki didn't think Crowley would abandon ship. Not from the way he had been acting lately. And if he did, well, Nikki would personally write The King of Hell a strong-worded letter. With the thickest red marker she could find. She had a brief moment where she wondered if they had a mail-system in Hell. Probably not.

She turned a corner, heading out from the kitchen and almost walked straight into someone. Looking up, she could see one of Bobby's hunter-friends standing there. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to almost bump into you."

He looked at her with golden-brown eyes, and smiled with pearly white teeth that stood in sharp contrast to his black hair and tanned skin. Nikki realised she found him quite attractive, and his smile felt very genuine as he held out a hand to her. "I'm sure I wouldn't have minded, even if you did. Name's James. Nice to meet you."

She found her smile to be just as genuine when she smiled back at him. He just seemed so _nice._ And attractive, no doubt. She shook his hand. "Nikki here. Nice to meet you too."

Nikki didn't reach the living room until almost twenty minutes later, having ended up chatting with James for much longer than she expected. He seemed genuinely nice. And she liked his humour.

A fleeting image of green eyes and a memory of hands leaving trails of fire on her skin shook her back to reality. _I'm completely screwed,_ she thought. _This sucks!_

-o-

At half past eleven everyone was buzzing around, putting on clothes and getting ready to go outside to watch 'a bit of fireworks' as Dean had put it. Nikki was the last one to leave the house, and just as she was about to open the door to head outside, Dean entered. He was obviously excited, because his eyes were almost sparkling, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold.

Just _looking_ at him made her heart go into complete overdrive, and she had to try to remember how to breathe when he smiled at her. "Just getting my zippo. Coming to watch the fireworks?"

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Definitely!"

The room went silent for a long moment before Nikki made a decision and stepped closer to him. She gave him a soft smile and put her hand on his cheek before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his lips.

Pulling back, she brushed her thumb over his skin before withdrawing her hand. Both her smile and voice were soft when she spoke. "Happy New Year, Dean."

He just stood there, looking at her with wide eyes, and she decided that this moment was perfect, just like this. So instead of waiting for him to speak, she smiled at him one last time before walking past him, heading out to find the rest of the party.

-o-

Fifteen minutes was all that was left of this year, and Dean and Sam was quite busy fixing 'a bit of fireworks' with the rest of the party as an audience. They were all standing on the field where Nikki had taken a joyride before Christmas, and could therefore see the car that pulled in and parked outside the house. A man stepped out, and Nikki could _swear _she had _never_ seen him before, but.. There was just..something.. He seemed familiar, somehow. She couldn't place it.

The man started walking in their direction, but was still too far away to start a conversation without yelling, so she just watched him approach. Nikki noticed Jenny lean in to whisper something to Bobby before heading over to Sam and Dean with casual steps. Unable to read anything from their expressions when Jenny spoke to them, Nikki frowned in confusion, wondering what was going on.

But then Jenny looked at her, and Nikki had a sudden realisation when Jenny gave a barely visible nudge with her head in the direction of the approaching man and lightly tapped her wrist with one finger. The wrist she wore her charm-bracelet on. Nikki sent Jenny a look that said; _really?! It's Crowley?!_ And Jenny returned a; _yes, definitely, and no, I had no idea he could do this._ The last look Jenny sent her said; _I have no idea what Crowley's doing, but let's just play along?_ Jenny smiled when Nikki gave a hint of a nod.

The level of understanding, and actual communication that had just occurred between them was quite frankly amazing, when Nikki thought about it. All that was needed was a slight twitch at the mouth, or a hint of widening eyes, and they would understand what it meant. They should start training this. If they could reach a level where they could communicate non-verbally, well.. That particular skill would probably come in handy as hell on several occasions, considering their bright future as hunters.

Nikki turned her eyes back to the apparently King-of-Hell-in-disguise. He was clad quite differently than usual. Dark blue jeans, black t-shirt with a grey, buttoned shirt, and a dark grey winter coat.

The clothes, however, was not the only thing that was different. His hair was longer than usual, almost reaching his shoulders, and the colour had a dark, copper-tone to it. And his _face_! The King of Hell obviously had a few tricks up his sleeve, because he didn't look like Crowley. He looked slightly younger, sharper cheekbones, fuller lips, and.. _Honestly, Crowley? _She thought when she saw him smile. _Dimples?_ Wait, he already had dimples, hadn't he? Not as distinct as these, though.

If she really _studied _him, she could see that, yes, it was in fact Crowley. But she had never guessed if she hadn't already known.

Nikki almost giggled when he spoke."Ah, perfect, not too late for the fireworks, eh? A'm sorry for missing the party, lads. I got held up."

Crowley was originally from Scotland, and had apparently decided to add a touch of Scottish to his accent. She had to admit; he was _good._

There was a moment of silence before Sam seemingly managed to wrap his head around the situation. "No worries, man. You're just in time for champagne."

Crowley smiled at Sam before turning to the rest of them. "A wee bit of new faces, I see. Name's Alexander Blair. Pleasure to meet you."

-o-

**Jenny,** **about a minute earlier.**

Jenny walked towards Dean and Sam in a state of utterly-freaked-out. And awestruck. Overjoyed. Angry. Relieved. Confused. Nervous. Or, simply put; she was pretty much surfing the entire human-emotions-scale, in the middle of a friggin storm.

But she _was _utterly freaked out. When the car had pulled into the drive, she had instantly felt his presence, resulting in a moment of pure bliss before she realised that the field was full of hunters. She had almost panicked when he stepped out, but then she had noticed the clothes. Also that..well, something was different.

In the next moment, she had watched his face flicker, like there was a different person there for a split second. Her mind had instantly gone to Harry Potter. They had Glamour-Charms that could do pretty much anything, depending on the skill of the witch or wizard. Hide scars, conceal bruises, or change hair-colour. But if the witch was particularly skilled, she could change appearance. Not literally, that would mean you had to change the whole human skeleton, and that was probably not for the faint-hearted.

The Glamour-Charm was an illusion, like putting on a mask. Perhaps that was what he was doing to change his appearance. Or more accurate; to make _other people_ see him differently. But she saw _Crowley, _ not a different person. Was she the only one who saw the real him, or was Crowley walking into a field of hunters, ignorant to the fact that they could see through his disguise?

Then it happened again, the flicker over his face, and Jenny had leaned in to whisper in Bobby's ear. "Do you see who it is?" The ruff man had just frowned in confusion at her, shaking his head, and she let out a breath from relief. "It's Crowley, I swear. And I think he is here for the fireworks, not to cause trouble. Let's be nice?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Alright. Hell would break loose if anyone found out anyway. Go, tell the boys, will ya?"

She walked over to Dean and Sam in a nothing-to-see-here-I'm-just-minding-my-own-business kind of way, but thankfully the two brothers noticed her intense expression. She reached them, and before they could say anything, she whispered. "Don't react to what I'm about to tell you, just..coolface, alright?"

She held her hand in front of her so only Sam and Dean could see it, and pointed at Crowley. "The man coming towards us is not a stranger, it's Crowley. Really, it's him. And he is probably here for the fireworks." Her next whisper was almost a hiss. "Be nice, alright? Shit will hit the fan in a major way if anyone learns the truth. So be nice. And if _he _decides to _not _be nice, I will bloody well send the Hellhounds on him. Alright?"

They nodded, and Jenny walked back while trying to communicate to Nikki what was going on, resulting in a surprisingly impressive non-verbal conversation. _Wow, _she thought. _That was actually quite astonishing. I need to talk to her later, maybe we can practice, get even better. That would be genius._

Jenny walked over to stand a bit to the side of the rest, and angling herself so that most of them had their backs to her. She watched as Crowley reached the gathering of people, and was sure she was losing her mind when he spoke. _Lads? A_ **_wee_** _bit of new faces?_ She thought, before realising that it was of course a part of the disguise. _Clever man. Clever, sneaky, Scottish demon,_ she thought as she watched him smile to the crowd before turning to Dean and Sam for a moment. They nodded at him, and he turned to walk away from them.

Towards her. He was walking towards _her. _ Although, why was that earth-shattering news? Of course he was walking towards her. It would be very odd if he _didn't _come to talk to her. So why was her nervous system completely convinced that this was life-altering somehow? Ah, her bloody gut-feeling. _We meet again, Jekyll_, she thought, trying to convince herself that this was not as severe as it felt.

She quickly narrowed it down, trying to collect her spinning thoughts before he reached her.

_One;_ he was here to celebrate New Year's Eve, and was not here specifically for her. Not completely unbelievable, but not very likely.

_Two;_ he was here to tell her that he did not want to continue this thing between them. This one was heartbreakingly legit.

_Three;_ he was here to declare white-picket-fence-love for her. Not bloody likely.

_Four;_ he was here to tell her maybe they could try. She had no idea if this was likely.

_Five;_ did the options never end? He was going to pretend like the conversation in the kitchen never happened, and keep up the emotional chaos going on inside her. Over average likely.

So she narrowed it down, and that had done _nothing _ whatsoever to help. _Well _**_fuck _** _my _**_life_**, she thought as he reached her.

He came to a halt just within her personal space, cocking his head at her. "Tha mi duilich, mo muirnín."

Well, of all the things she had prepared for, that was not one of them. The beautiful, soft way he said those words took her by such surprise that the chaos of thoughts actually calmed down a bit. She cocked her head as well. "I do not know what that means. But please, Cro- uh, _Alexander,_ do continue, because I don't think I care even if it was an insult. That was just.._beautiful_. Gaelic?"

Crowley chuckled. "Cannie lass you are, dearie. And no, it was not and insult." He glanced away for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "It meant; I'm sorry, my darling. I should not have left like that."

She gazed at him. No white-picked-fence-declaration yet, but he was standing here apologising to her. The King of Hell was _apologising_ to her. She had, in that kitchen, confronted him directly with _feelings,_ and he had responded the only way he knew how.

She had not been angry with him for leaving, just afraid that he would not be coming back. But here he was, and the first thing he did was to re-open the kitchen conversation. So what would be the best cause of action for her right now? Tell him that he was forgiven, and not push any further? Or ask him again? Jenny didn't know.

She actually flinched when she was interrupted by the 'bit of fireworks', and Crowley chuckled before moving to stand behind her. Putting his arms around her, he whispered in her ear. "Let's watch the fireworks, mo muirnín."

They watched for a bit, until someone in the small crowd clapped. "One minute, folks!"

What was it with people and counting down? She hated it. She could deal with ten-to-one, but sixty, honestly?

At thirty, she turned around to face Crowley, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

At twenty, she smiled softly at him, putting her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb in small circles on his skin.

At ten, she reached up, stroking his hair, making Crowley sigh and close his eyes.

At five, she wondered why she should wait until zero, when this moment was just perfect. It was perfect. So she leaned in and kissed him.

This kiss was nothing like any of the other kisses they had shared. This was soft and gentle, filled with so much _emotion_ that she was sure her heart couldn't take it.

All too soon, she had to withdraw, considering where they were, and when she pulled away from him with a sigh, he had the same exact expression as her. Smiling softly, she brushed her hand over his cheek one last time before returning to reality. "Happy New Year, Crowley."

He gave her a soft smile. "Happy New Year, mo chroí." Glancing around, he smirked at her. "Unless you want to cause a disturbance in the Singer-household, I suggest you go hug your friends. I think you are next on their agenda." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Och, and Alexander's gonna talk mince with the twallies, eh?" He winked at her. "Mibbe I'll bosie yeh later, eh, lass?"

He turned away from her, and she heard him clap his hand together as he exclaimed. "That was pure dead brilliant, lads! Barry bangers, eh?!"

-o-

Jenny had hugged everybody at least three times and euphorically kissed sheriff Mills on the cheek twice, had three and half glass of champagne in approximately twenty minutes because she didn't notice that someone kept refilling her glass, and was now a giggling mess on her way back to the house. She was accompanied by Alexander Blair, whom was still enthusiastic over the barry bangers, and had managed to say 'eh' at least three hundred and twelve times, only in the timespan of forty five minutes.

She giggled and rolled her eyes at him before glancing around to see if anyone was within hearing-distance. No one was, so she raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "What kind of spell is Alexander Blair? How does it work? And why can I see through it?"

He gave her a smug smile. "Och, nosy lass, are yeh?"

Jenny made a frustrated sound and punched his shoulder. "Go away, Alexander. That, or switch to Gaelic. Your choice."

Smiling seductively at her, he leaned in and spoke in her ear. "Tha mi sa' ghaol leat, leannan."

Jenny wondered if Crowley had any idea of the way his voice affected her. She prayed he didn't, because it was quite frankly ridiculous. Clearing her throat, she tried to give him a neutral look. "And what does that mean?"

Crowley gave her an amused look. "I have no intention of telling you, love. Perhaps I will, one day, if you behave."

-o-

_Today has been a success, _Jenny thought as she headed up the stairs with The Scottish King of Hell trailing after her. He hadn't left yet, and she was glad, because they had not really finished their conversation, being interrupted by some barry bangers.

Entering her room, she sighed with content. "2011, huh? And I had _just _learned not to write _2014. _Oh, well." Crowley didn't answer, so she turned to him, finding him watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. She stopped in her tracks and met his eyes. "Oh _God, _Crowley, just say it, whatever it is occupying your mind at the moment."

He held her gaze for a moment before breaking eye-contact and turning his head to the side as he shrugged off his winter jacket. Sighing, he lifted his head to look at her again, and his expression had changed completely in those few seconds when he looked away. From the unreadable, stony face she had met when she turned around, his expression was now open. Open, and vulnerable.

That was what he had been doing in those few seconds. Crowley had _chosen_ to let down his guard. That defeated sigh she had heard.. It was because he actually _felt_ defeated. But, by what?

Crowley closed his eyes for a moment. "Jenny.." Drawing a deep breath, he opened his eyes to look at her. The use of her given name had already shaken her a bit, but the pain she could see in Crowley's eyes made her chest ache as her heart broke for him.

She took a hesitant step closer to him. "Crowley, love, just tell me. Please, just _tell_ me."

His eyes widened a fraction from her endearment, but still there was another long moment before he spoke. "You asked me earlier today what I wanted from you." Jenny nodded at him, and he continued. "Will you answer me first? What is it that _you_ want from _me?"_

Jenny concluded that, yes, she could tell him first. No matter how much it would hurt to be rejected, Crowley was the braver of the two of them right in this moment.

She took another step towards him, hesitating before deciding not to reach out to touch him. "What do I want from you? It's quite simple, actually. I want _you."_

His eyes had averted hers for a moment when she started talking, but flashed up again, wide with surprise. "Do you _honestly_ mean that? Have you even _considered_ what it entails? What consequences it may lead to for you?"

Jenny nodded at him. "I have. For hours upon hours. I'm _in love_ with you, Crowley." Looking at him with soft eyes, she stepped closer. "And I have been for a while."

He was just looking at her, so she decided to take a chance.

Taking a deep breath, she reached up and undid a button on his shirt.

-o-

**Crowley**

He wanted to believe her, he really did. But it just seemed so..surreal. Everything was rather surreal right in this moment.

It got even more surreal when she stepped closer and put her hands on his chest and he realised she was unbuttoning his shirt.

Her movements were so gentle, so careful.

And it was driving him insane. He could feel his whole body react to it, and he did not know if that was a good idea. If that was what she intended.

He raised his arms, putting his hands over hers. "Stop, dearest."

She looked up at him, giving him a confused look, and he couldn't return her steady gaze, and averted her eyes as he continued. "I am not sure you realise what you are doing to me, love." Meeting her eyes again, he continued. "And if we go down this road..well, I am not sure if we will be able to return to where we are now."

He looked at her again, and her eyes were still confused for a moment before her expression changed as she understood the meaning of his words.

He expected her to withdraw her hands, but she kept still, looking at him with her steady eyes for an endless moment.

And then, still looking at him, not wavering for even a moment, he felt her fingers move under his hands.

Crowley couldn't help the sharp intake of breath as he realised she had just undone a button.

She slid her hands out from under his, moving to the next button, still looking at him with a steady gaze.

She undid the button.

And another one.

And another one.

Until there was no more buttons to undo.

Crowley just waited, still not completely sure if she had, in fact, understood what he had meant.

She put her hands on his chest, under his shirt, slowly sliding them upwards until her hands were resting on his shoulders.

He took a deep breath when she continued a moment later, pushing his shirt over his shoulders.

His shirt fell to the floor. Crowley couldn't speak. Or breathe.

He couldn't think, either, when her hands moved, sliding down until she reached the edge of his t shirt.

And then she began pulling his shirt up his body, her hands brushing over his skin with the movement.

Crowley couldn't help the small sigh that escaped him.

She pulled the shirt up, stopping, waiting for him to lift his arms.

He did.

The t shirt fell to the floor.

She was still looking at him when she put her hands on his chest.

The feeling of her hands on his skin.. Crowley couldn't help but close his eyes, tilting his head back just slightly.

She moved her hands, softly, Crowley couldn't think.

And then there were soft lips, warm, soft lips, as she kissed his chest, his skin, and Crowley couldn't help the small 'ah' sound that escaped him.

She continued kissing him, up, and her hand slid up, until she had her hand on his cheek, and her soft lips on the sensitive skin on his throat.

Crowley couldn't help himself any longer. He opened his eyes to find her looking at him, and he moved his arms, putting his hands on her hips.

And then she moved closer to him, so close that their bodies were flush together, and then she kissed him.

Soft lips met his, and the kiss was completely different from every other kiss they had shared before.

It was like she just gave in, let go of the world, of _everything_ , and just lost herself in the kiss. Lost herself in _him._ Crowley was sure he would never be able to think again.

Without breaking the kiss, he moved his hands to the edge of her top, pulling it upwards, feeling the goose-bumps on her skin when his hands brushed over her skin.

She gently broke the kiss, lifting her hands so he could pull off her top.

The top fell to the floor.

And the sight of her left him breathless.

She cupped his cheek, moving closer, until their bodies met.

The feeling of her warm skin against his made his breath hitch, and he wondered how he had managed for hundreds of years without feeling like this.

He kissed her again, while moving his hands to her hips, hooking his thumbs on the waistband of her pants, slowly pulling them down; giving her every chance to stop him.

She wiggled out of her pants, and the piece of clothing fell to the floor.

His breath hitched when she moved her hands to his jeans, undoing the button.

The jeans fell to the floor.

She gave him a soft smile before taking his hand, pulling him towards the bed.

Crowley pulled her towards him instead, sliding his hands down to her buttocks, making her moan softly before she wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her. He held her up with one arm, and the other arm was wrapped around her waist.

She put her arms around his neck and looked at him, and he gave her a soft smile as he walked the few steps towards the bed. Placing a knee on the bed, he leaned forward to lay her down, while at the same time moving his hand, unhooking her bra.

She gave him an amused smile as she removed the small piece of clothing.

The bra fell to the floor.

Crowley forgot how to breathe. Completely and totally, forgot how to breathe.

She moved up the bed, and he moved after her, until he was hovering over her, just looking at her.

And what a marvellous sight she was. Her hair was fanned out on the white pillow, her cheeks had a faint blush to them, and her lips were slightly parted.

Her curves were perfect, her skin had a golden tan, and her knickers were light blue with little skulls on them. The sight made him chuckle.

He met her eyes again, and found her looking at him with one eyebrow raised. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss said eyebrow before looking at her. "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life, love."

She actually blushed slightly, and he kissed her softly again, and continued kissing her, her cheek, her chin, her neck.

The way she arched her back at every kiss, and the small moans and sighs made him feel like he was about to lose his mind.

He kissed her collar bone before continuing down, slowly, trailing kisses towards her nipple. Although he wanted nothing more than to put his lips on it, he averted it, trailing kisses towards her other breast instead.

The instant, frustrated sound she gave made it all worth it, though.

He repeated the action on the other nipple, but it seemed she had had enough. Entangling her hands in his hair, she tilted his head up to look at her.

And he could actually _see _the frustration in her eyes. And hear it in her voice. "Crowley.."

"Yes, love?"

"You are making me lose my mind. Stop it before my last trace of sanity is gone."

He complied. And the way her back arched when his lips met her nipple was nothing but amazing.

"Oh, God, Crowley.."

Crowley was pretty sure he was just as close to losing his last trace of sanity as she was. Because the way she responded to his touch.. He had pictured it, of course; tried to imagine how it would be to have all of her, but his imagination had not done her justice at all. Every little touch, every little kiss made her sigh, made her shiver, made her arch her back or curl her toes.

And it was quite frankly amazing. She was amazing.

He saw her clutch the blanket, and her voice was almost pained when she spoke. "Crowley, I can't.."

His imagination had not even been in the same area as this.

He moved over, laying down next to her, leaning on his elbow so he could look at her. She opened her eyes to meet his. "Crowley, please.."

He could do nothing but comply. His hand was resting on her belly, slowly caressing her skin, and he moved it down her body, making her almost whimper.

She was still looking at him, and he moved his hand the last few inches, brushing his fingers over her panties.

Her reaction made Crowley's breath hitch.

She arched her back, and her head fell back in the pillow as she clutched the blanket with both hands. "_Oh, God. Please.."_

He hooked a thumb in the waistband of her panties, and she quickly assisted him, wiggling out of her panties.

He slid his hand up her thigh before finally reaching her most sensitive spot.

Her mouth turned into the shape of an O, and she almost lifted _off _the mattress from the way her body arched. "_God, oh.. Crowley, oh God, Crowley.."_

Hearing her moan his name in that way almost made him lose it completely. He needed her, wanted her. Wanted her more than he had wanted anything in his life.

He slid one finger inside her, and the sleek wetness made it completely clear how ready she was.

Oh, God, he wanted her.

Just then, she opened her eyes to look at him with burning eyes, pulling him down for a searing kiss. Until he began moving his finger, that is.

She froze, and looked at him with wide eyes and almost gasping for breath.

He wanted to kiss her again. So he did. He leaned down, and just as his lips met hers, he found her clit, causing a sharp intake of breath before she moaned against his lips.

He began making circling motions, slowly, sliding his finger over her clit again and again, making her dig her nails into his neck and scalp, and she moaned and whimpered against his lips. "Crowley.. I..I want, _need _you. Please.."

He moved his head slightly, whispering against the skin near her ear. "I need you too, love. More than anything." Speeding up his movements, he continued, although unsure if she was even listening to him. "But first, dearest, you are going to let go." He kissed the sensitive skin right under her ear before continuing. "Now, love. Let go."

She did. Her whole body tensed, and she arched her back as her hands moved up, gripping the pillow, holding on to it like her life depended on it for a long moment.

And the way she chanted his name; _his _name, was almost too much.

The tension left her body as she stilled, and Crowley wondered how long she needed to recover, but in the next moment she opened her eyes, looking at him with euphoria in her expression. "_That _was indescribable. _You _are indescribable. And I want you _so much."_

Crowley was quite certain that he wanted her a lot more than she wanted him. But he decided against opening the subject for discussion.

She moved, tugged on the waistband of his boxers, and he complied, wriggling out of them.

Before he knew it, a warm mouth and soft lips wrapped around his erection, and it was almost enough to make him come undone.

"Love, oh, sweet Hades, stop. You have to stop. Or this will be a rather short affair."

She lifted her head, letting go of his cock with a soft 'pop' before looking at him. "Well, we could just do it again, you know."

He nodded at her, still trying to remember how to breathe. "Yes, but not until I have been inside you, lover."

She sucked in a breath, and he flipped her over on her back, hovering over her in a second. Gazing at her for a long moment, he settled between her legs, adjusting himself to her opening.

And with one, soft movement, he was inside her.

She was so..tight..wet..warm..

And the last trace of sanity, the last coherent thought vanished, replaced by just..feelings..sensations.. It was..almost too much..

"_Oh..God.."_

He started to move. And the way she clung to him, wrapping her legs around him, her nails on his back, moving with him..

He moved slowly, relishing in the sensation, the feeling of her body, her skin, her mouth, her taste.. The feeling of _her.._

Crowley lost all concept of time, place, everything.. It was just..her.. Everything was.._her._

Nothing mattered in this moment. Nothing but her.

And the way she whispered, murmured, sighed, moaned his name..

"_Crowley, oh, Crowley, love, my Crowley." _ She held on to him like her life depended on it, kissing him furiously, almost desperately. "_My love.."_

Her words sent him over the edge. And Crowley was lost to the world.


End file.
